Starting February 14, those wishing to register a business will do so online, as the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) moves to ease the process further.

Louise Kanyonga, the registrar general at RDB, said in order to facilitate a smooth transition, the company registration office will offer work spaces and free online help-desk services to all clients for a year.

"And as opposed to the Rwf15,000 required for the discontinued physical registration, the online service is free,” she said.

Information Technology experts have, however, advised the Board to make the online registration process easy for users.  

"When RDB says they have reduced the number of hours it takes for online business registration, they should find out whether it is adding value,” said Saddiq Mwai, director technology advisory services at Price WaterhouseCoopers, a management and tax consultancy firm.

Mwai said the procedures should be made easier for clients. This, he said, can be done by modifying it and setting key performance indicators for the system.

 The registrar’s office reduced time required to register a business online from 24 to six hours two years ago, making Rwanda one of the fastest place to register a business in the world.

The total number of businesses registered online went up to 4,169 businesses as at the end of last year up from 473 businesses in 2011.

The number of entrepreneurs who have been going to register physically at RDB decreased from 8,595 in 2011 to 7,119 businesses end of last year.