Digital products Made in Rwanda — why scaling and tapping into new markets is so important
With 12 million people and 14.6% smartphone penetration, Rwandan tech founders have to be creative to reach scale. Why opening regional markets is essential — and how the DigiCenter helps.
ith a population of around 12 million and a smartphone penetration of 14.6%, Rwandan tech companies face a unique challenge in getting their products and digital platforms to market scale. Entrepreneurs in Rwanda need to be particularly creative and innovative to make a digital product a success.
Tapping new markets in Africa
For these founders it is particularly important to develop their products with alternative markets in mind. One option is the immediate East African region — but the Kenyan market, for example, is already saturated with its own digital products and does not necessarily depend on Rwandan ones. It is worth considering other countries with a context similar to Rwanda (population, climate, regulatory landscape).
That is why the DigiCenter focuses not only on supporting the development of digital solutions, but also on scaling them within Africa. Many of the solutions developed at the DigiCenter address social challenges and could just as well be relevant elsewhere on the continent. The motivation is not to reinvent these solutions in every country, but to create and use synergies.
How the DigiCenter supports developer teams in scaling
GIZ's internal network offers a good basis for using existing contacts in other countries and identifying relevant target groups. Some of the solutions have already been presented at conferences — though COVID-19 has eliminated many physical touchpoints. The DigiCenter currently uses more online formats such as the Leverist platform or its own website to reach potential partners. It also collaborates closely with the Smart Africa Secretariat to leverage existing solutions for similar problems.
So far, the Digital Ecosystem Mapping tool has been successfully presented to the GIZ project Special Initiative Jobs in Ethiopia, which wants to modify the platform as a directory for SMEs. The DigiCenter is also supporting the Rwandan company WatchIT Group to scale their IoT learning kit across Africa.