The tech scene in Rwanda has grown at breakneck speed in the last few years but many people outside the tech world are in the dark. The young players in that field have a knack of keeping low-key or just keeping it among their circles.

Most of the technology revolves around developing mobile applications but others tend to go a notch higher to find solutions for everyday life.

Perhaps the most famous is the Tap-and-Go technologies used in public transport. It became so successful that it has been exported to West Africa and even attracted external investors.

Very many startups hardly hit the airwaves but people should not be fooled; the country is awash with them. What is most encouraging is that some of the innovators are not products of prestigious schools but home-trained in our Integrated Polytechnic Regional Centres (IPRC) that are now the backbone of innovation.

One other thing that should not be overlooked while assessing the tech scene in Rwanda is that it is not the preserve of males but females are represented in equal share.

The promotion of STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) among young females has also opened the way for young girls to join the once male-dominated fields and they are firmly standing their ground.

The Covid-19 pandemic might have thrown the spanner into the works and disrupted normal life, but some have found in it opportunities that they are now exploiting; if it is not home deliveries of groceries it is bringing educational materials to the living room for students stuck home because of the nationwide closure of schools.

This is a time when one really appreciates the resources put into technology, one might not have fully understood the urgency at that time, but now many do now. Those were not wasted resources.