If there is one government institution that has proved itself in service delivery, it’s the immigration department.
In many countries, immigration services are synonymous with red tape and corruption. Getting forms to fill, leave alone getting the document — be it passport or visa — is an uphill task, and often money has to change hands.

The mountains of paper work, long queues, and nonchalant officials is the order of the day; but not in Rwanda.

The department here is one of the most efficient government departments with modern technology that guarantees one gets a passport  with minimal delays — one can even apply and track the progress online — the same goes for visas.

Visitors do not need to trek to Rwandan embassies in foreign capitals to apply for a visa. One only has to log on to the immigration website and get an answer within an hour. Few countries can boast such levels of service delivery.

The innovative strides led to the immigration department scooping the inaugural Intego Awards when it came top in e-Government in the whole country. Now the department’s sights are set on the international level.

The announcement by the Cabinet, that the Rwanda Directorate of Immigration will represent Rwanda in an international service delivery competition, should not come as a surprise.

Despite having its plate full, i.e dealing with issues of nationality, registering NGOs, granting visas and travel documents, the department performs like clockwork.

What remains now is to showcase its achievements on the international scene, and as usual, only the best results are expected.

Ends