Rwandans looking forward to access public services using the electronic governance platform developed under RwandaOnline initiative will have to wait longer following postponement of the launch of the inaugural  services.

The platform currently being developed by RwandaOnline Platform Limited, a private firm contracted by the government to build and operate the platform for 25 years was set to launch 10 inaugural services by May this year. 

The agreement was signed in April last year, and concluded in August, following a Conditions Precedent period.

However, the firm (RwandaOnline Platform Limited) was forced to push forward the launch of the services to July 2015, after encountering challenges in the development process.

Speaking to The New Times, yesterday, Alistar Muhire, the firms communication manager, said the concept being new in the country’s service provision sector, it was bound to experience such challenges. 

"The concept of the platform being fairly new in the country, we have been experiencing a few challenges but we have developed ways to address them,” Muhire said.

Among the challenges include government agencies – whose services are to be digitalised – not being ready for the development or hesitant to take the risks. 

 The firm maintains that they have the capacity and means to get around the challenges and have been working closely with the government agencies.

The firm has also had to halve the number of planned inaugural services from 10, with more than ten other services scheduled to be launched by the end of the year.

The services expected to go live include application for criminal clearance certificate, issuance of trading licenses, application for birth certificates and registration for driving licence  theory and definitive tests.

Services to be rolled out in the second half of the year include transfer of land titles, land subdivision, civil registration, application for ordinary passports, visas and permits, application  for provisional and definitive drivers’ licenses and building permits.

Muhire said following the launch of the inaugural services, there will be a six-month window period before phasing out manual processes in the respective government agencies.

"To make that possible we will work closely with the respective government agencies to create awareness and sensitisation of the existence of the platform, and access points shall be set up across the country for members of the public without an internet connection,” Muhire said. 

The government has, however, expressed eagerness to work with the firm towards availing public services online.

Rosemary Mbabazi, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Youth and ICT, told this newspaper that they were working to fast-track institutionalreadiness for better service delivery.

"This involves infrastructure readiness connecting back-end services of institutions within RwandaOnline platform, availing more community access points to provide online services, branding and change management,” Mbabazi said.

The platform, being developed in partnership with CrimsonLogic, a Singaporean firm, in conjunction with local IT companies, is to avail about 100 government services online.

As things stand, there are various ministries and agencies responsible for their own services and hire their own IT experts to build online platforms, which doesn’t allow for standardisation.

 The platform will contain a menu of services that government provides. On selecting the desired service, one would be able to load the requirements  onto the platform, pay through the various cashless options provided (visa or mobile money services) and submit them.

Emmanuel Kabanda, the Police spokesperson for Traffic and Road Safety, said the department in charge of registration for driver’s licence theory tests was already engaged with the firm.

He said they were looking forward to the implementation of the development to better service delivery.

Kigali in March hosted an e-Governance forum organised by the Ministry of Youth and ICT and Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation that sought to explore enormous contributions of e-Government on socio-economic transformation.

Rwanda Online platform is a self-service delivery portal designed with citizens and businesses’ interests in mind, officials say. 

Implemented under public-private-partnership, it is aimed at bridging the gap of access to information, as well as improving public service delivery through the digitalisation of services.  

The platform is expected to provide tangible results such as reducing the amount of time spent waiting in line, streamlining requirements for the application process, and increasing accountability by public officials.