Women involved in cross-border trading in Rubavu District have been urged to incorporate digital payment methods into their daily business operations.

Approximately 50 women, engaged in small-scale cross-border trade, successfully completed a three-day training on August 10th, 2023. The training's objective was to equip them with skills and awareness related to digital payments.

The event was organized by the COMESA Business Council (CBC) in collaboration with the Imbaraga Farmers Organisation. This initiative, known as the Digital Financial Inclusion for MSMEs, seeks to encourage cross-border traders to transition from cash transactions to digital platforms. This transition aims to address common challenges such as theft, currency exchange difficulties, and counterfeit money.

The training is being conducted across eight member states, including Egypt, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, and Mauritius. These countries have been selected as pilot locations for the CBC Digital Financial Inclusion Programme. The primary goal of this program is to establish a COMESA Digital Retail Payments Platform, which will facilitate cross-border trade within the region, with a specific focus on Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs).

Statistics provided by the COMESA Business Council reveal that women make up 60 percent of the cross-border trading demographic, while men constitute the remaining 40 percent.

In Africa, current data indicates that around 400 million adults lack access to financial services, and of this group, 60 percent are women.

Among the participants in the training were Peruse Gakure, aged 60, from the Gisenyi sector, and Judith Cyimanimpaye, aged 23, from the Rubavu sector. Both are involved in retailing vegetables and fruits, often crossing into Goma town through the Petite Barrière border post.

Cyimanimpaye expressed her satisfaction with the training, stating, "We have been trained on how we can sell our products online. It’s something good for business that becomes easier. It doesn’t take much time and does not require rent for storage."

Gakure added, "I sell perishable vegetables but with this new digital knowledge, I will be able to take photos, post and make delivery at the right time, which is different from the way I was doing my business."

Juvenal Musine, the Programme Manager for the Imbaraga Famers Organization, emphasized that digital awareness supports cross-border traders in sharing information and becoming professionals, ultimately leading to more profitable businesses.

Yoseph Wondimu, the Chief Information Officer of the DFI Programme for the COMESA Business Council, underscored the importance of such capacity-building training in enabling the wider adoption of digital financial services across the COMESA region. He also noted that while some of the women lack access to smartphones, many of them are committed to using their training allowances to acquire the necessary technology.

Wondimu added that the COMESA Business Council is actively engaged in initiatives aimed at enhancing digital trade for cross-border traders.