FEATURED - Car Free Day: Irembo spurs digital literacy, sustainability

Irembo, a digital government service provider, made a significant impact at Kigali’s Car Free Day on Sunday, November 19 through promoting digital literacy and empowering citizens with self-service availabilities. As part of their ongoing ‘Byikorere’ (self-application) campaign, Irembo seized the opportunity to educate and elevate the populace, government officials, and business professionals about the transformative capabilities of the platform. The ‘Byikorere’ campaign was launched earlier this year in May and has been emphasising the importance of citizens’ ability to apply for government service through IremboGov independently. This includes account creation, service applications, payment process applications tracking, and data privacy. During Car Free Day, Irembo raised awareness about the zero paper principle, advocating for a more sustainable and efficient approach to accessing government services. Attendees were also educated on safeguarding their personal information while maximising the convenient, user-friendly features offered by the platform. ALSO READ: 400 more services to be accessed via Irembo At the event, Paula Ingabire, the Minister of ICT and Innovation, emphasised the importance of self-engaging in government services. She said: “We are gathered not just for sports but also to amplify awareness about ‘Byikorere’. This initiative relies on us all. What the organisation offers is collectively ours.” “Achieving ‘Byikorere,” she continued, “demands embracing it as our own. IremboGov isn’t exclusive; it belongs to us all. The feeling of ownership alone can spark the initiative to engage in it.” The Minister noted: “There are over 1,500 digital ambassadors countrywide. Their role is to train individuals in basic skills to collaborate effectively in this endeavour. Let us start today but also teach those absent to grasp how to partake in it.” ALSO READ: Irembo further eases online public services delivery Patrick Gategabondo, the Chief Operating Officer at Irembo, echoed similar sentiments, noting the country’s efforts to urge Rwandans to embrace a healthy lifestyle. Gategabondo said: “This platform is theirs to access various services from different institutions, such as community health insurance (Mutuelle de santé), police or sector-level services. It's crucial to dispel the notion that the platform caters only to specific individuals.” He added: “As of now, Irembo offers over 109 services. Initially, when the campaign commenced early in May, only 25 per cent of people were independently requesting services. However, this has increased to 42 per cent, and the goal is to further raise this figure to 100 per cent.” On the other hand, Irembo is boosting the movement to different places, mostly hosting large gatherings such as schools, marketplaces, or organisations to amplify the reach and impact of the campaign countrywide. “Part of the Irembo team has been in the Northern Province for the same campaign and we are doing this in all districts countrywide. It is not about people living in cities but rather for everyone who basically considers Irembo as a tool,” he noted. “Therefore, we encourage everyone to reach out to us whenever facing any challenge. Equally, anyone can access some services like paying Mutuelle de santé, civil registry, traffic fines, and others using the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) code. Furthermore, Irembo has a toll-free call centre. Simply dial *909#.”

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FEATURED - Car Free Day: Irembo spurs digital literacy, sustainability