e-Soko wins global award

The e-Soko project scooped the International Arch of Europe Award for its outstanding quality data prices that has helped farmers and buyers to access daily commodity prices in the market.The annual international award is presented to each company as an entity, for corporate achievement, by Business Initiative Directions (Bid), an independent and international organisation leader in promoting quality, innovation and excellence.The recipients are chosen based on a voting process carried out during the Bid World Congress meets in Paris, London, Geneva, Frankfurt, Madrid and New York.The awardThe prestigious accolade was presented to Wilson Musonera, the e-Soko systems administrator, at the weekend during the annual International Arch of Europe Convention in the InterContinental Convention Hall of Frankfurt in Germany.At the event, many companies from 72 countries gathered to receive the awards.This recognition is based on the criteria of the QC100 quality model, implemented in over 100 countries.e-Soko is an electronic platform that gives farmers, consumers and traders up-to-date market price information for commodities using mobile phones.Through the platform, the public is able to follow price trends for commodities by enabling them to make informed decisions regarding production and marketing of their produce.Speaking to The New Times, yesterday, Musonera said the e-Soko won the international golden award for quality and technology because of its exceptional updated commodity prices.“We are glad that our innovative model has now gained global recognition. Winning the International Arch of Europe award is an honour to our work,” he said.Musonera said the technology that is currently implemented in 62 markets across the country has facilitated people within and outside Rwanda to access market prices at their convenience.For the public to know the prices, they can simply type the word price and leave space, type market, space, followed by the name of a particular commodity and send to 7656. The system has about 78 commodities.People connected to MTN network can send an SMS using the 7656 code, to know the price of a particular product at a fee of Rwf10. “We have also an online version where people can log on to the e-Soko website as guests and access the latest commodity prices,” said the systems administrator.He said the system is presently in the second phase of implementation where infrastructure setup has been built followed by finalising of the maintenance agreements and hosting by Broadband Systems Corporation (BSC).However, according to Musonera, migration from Voxiva, the former host to BSC has delayed the implementation process, for stance, availing Tigo and Airtel subscribers on the network and the introduction of the English version of the sms.Voxiva is a global provider of practical information solutions that strengthens healthcare systems, enhances safety and improves government service delivery.“We are waiting for a reply from Voxiva because they are the ones who will help us to migrate the system, but we have already signed the migration licensing agreement.”The first phase focused on the setting up of the project, getting farmers and traders to understand the systems, applications and code number.He said about 3,000 people on monthly basis use e-Soko to request commodity prices information in the market.Field staff drawn from the Ministry of Agriculture are tasked to collect the market prices and enter them in a database on a regular basis.Sandrine Mukankusi, a trader in Kimironko market, said the technology platform has helped them to know when to increase or decrease prices.“It enables us to ensure that our prices correspond with others in the markets all over the country,” she said.More than 75 per cent of the country’s population earns their living, directly or indirectly, from agriculture, especially through subsistence farming.Jean de Dieu Habarugira, a consumer, said, “Whenever I go to the market to buy foodstuff, I first confirm commodity prices using e-Soko technology, to avoid being duped by vendors.”e-Soko was introduced in 2010 with the support of Rwanda Development Board.

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e-Soko wins global award