2021 is highly anticipated with most hoping that it brings better tides in comparison to 2020. The commencement of rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine has been among the factors raising hope that the year will be better.

The complexities of 2020 left behind lessons and experiences that are likely to inform and shape lives going forward.

Among the aspects that the country would be better off taking into 2021 is the cashless payment drive that picked up speed during the year as most tried to reduce physical cash handling which was said to increase chances of transmission.

The picking of pace was largely out of efforts of both service providers such as banks and telcos to adjust approach to engagement and improved communication and awareness of the provisions. The adjustment of prices on digital payment services also played a great role in driving uptake.

Going forward into 2021, further working on the drivers of the progress will see Rwanda achieve its cashless ambitions targets before 2024 deadline.

The adoption of tech services including e-commerce, virtual meetings among others should be maintained in 2021. Not only for its convenience but cost cutting and reduction for businesses and individuals as well as opens up a new business opportunity that is also picking up pace across the world.

It also turned out that broadband access can be a determinant of business continuity and service access as a number of businesses relied on the internet as well as basic services such as education.

In 2020, the importance of well thought out contracts also stood out strongly as aspects such as Force majeure and employment termination clauses turned out to be important during the year.

Going forward, this calls for individuals and organizations to be conscious of clauses of contracts they enter into as well as the importance of having a sound legal structure.

At the same time, 2020 showed the importance of businesses being in good books with the tax man as RRA certification turned out to be key for businesses to be considered eligible for the Economic Recovery Fund.

Most importantly, individuals were also reminded of the importance of financial savings in the event of a rainy day and unforeseen circumstances.