Through the Connect Rwanda Initiative, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MINICOM) is set to donate 900 smartphones to cross-border women traders to enable them use cashless transactions in their operations and access other government digitally supported services.

The phones were handed over to MTN Rwanda, the telecommunication company that will distribute the phones to the beneficiaries, in a function held at ministry headquarters on February 10.

Beata Habyarimana, the Minister of Trade and Industry said that the phones will be given to traders who have never owned a smartphone before and will help them to communicate with other traders regionally, share pictures of their products and access information such as prices, border-crossing measures in place as well as any other trade-related information in a timely manner.

She revealed that they have partnered with Ministry of ICT and Innovation as well as MTN Rwanda, adding that the 900 smartphones will be given to women who trade in three western border districts of Nyamasheke, Rusizi and Rubavu with the support of the World Bank’s Great Lakes Trade Facilitation Project.

"We have opted to help women traders because during Covid-19--induced lockdownsq, borders were closed, but they proved that trading was possible by using their simple ways. So, giving them smartphones with different helpful applications will help them to boost their businesses,” she said.

Through the Connect Rwanda Initiative, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MINICOM) is set to donate 900 smartphones.

She noted that 75% of people who are involved in cross-border trade are women, adding that when they get profit, they use it to advance their families hence it is important for government to facilitate their trade.

Connect Rwanda Initiative seeks to mobilise people to contribute by providing smartphones to Rwandans who cannot afford them.

 Since inception, it has majorly focused on different segments of the population; the unconnected, female farmers, persons with disabilities, individuals in category 1 and 2 of Ubudehe, among others.

Alain Numa, Acting Head of Corporate Affairs at MTN Rwanda said that MINICOM is the first entity to pledge smartphones through the initiative since 2022 started.

He said that MTN Rwanda will distribute the smartphones to the beneficiaries together with free sim cards that contain three months’ internet bundles.

According to him, the initiative has so far distributed 24,000 smartphones while 49,000 sets have so far been pledged. He urged the different institutions that pledged phones to honour their pledges so that the phones can be taken to people who need them.

He said that those who have so far received the smartphones have gained digital literacy and can now access different government services, adding that many others no longer walk miles to find people who can help them access the internet because they can access it from where they are.