Médiatrice Kibukayire, the president of a ceramics cooperative in Kacyiru, Gasabo District, has said they have been relying on paper and pen for record -keeping in their cooperative’s operations.

This arrangement, she said, is not effective as it was risky.

"We make ceramic products including vases and water filters. We have a finance manager and a secretariat but no computer. Everything is done by pen and paper. What would happen if we lost a document”? she wondered.

Their cooperative has 50, members some of whom studied up to primary six while others are illiterate.

Kibukayire was speaking on Tuesday at Centre Iwacu Kabusunzu in Nyarugenge District, during the launch of SMART Cooperative, an initiative that aims at distributing Rwandan made Postivo BGH Laptops to some 7,500 cooperatives across the country.

The event attracted representatives from various cooperatives including rice, coffee, tea and mining coops, among others, countrywide.

"Therefore, I appreciate the initiative and request that the concerned players look for the means to at least equip us with skills in the new software so that our operations can run smoothly,” she said.

Championed by Africa Smart Initiative-Distribution (ASI-D), the initiative is in line with government’s efforts to bridge the digital divide in rural Rwanda and is expected to help cooperative members improve efficiency in their work.

Innocent Gasana, Chief Commercial Officer at ASI-D, said that with the new initiative, they want cooperatives to work faster and increase productivity.

"The 21st century is led by technology. If you do not integrate technology in your activities, you cannot grow.

That is why we have to use technology in the administration and management of cooperatives,” he said.

The software is said to be aligned with the needs of cooperatives or the problems they face in their daily activities in terms of administration, management and marketing.

Alleluya Iradukunda, the Chief Technology Officer at ASI-D, said it will help follow up on the members on a daily basis, share information (communication) between cooperative members and managers as well as help market the cooperatives’ products.

"We have realised that many cooperatives have no websites and have poor management of funds. For instance, a farming cooperative might have produce but lacks buyers because it was not advertised. This software can help address such issues because people will be visiting the cooperatives’ websites and get information about the products it deals with,” he said.

Augustin Katabarwa, the Chairman of the National Cooperatives Confederation of Rwanda (NCCR), said there are about 7,500 cooperatives in the country with about 3 million members.

He said working in cooperatives has proven beneficial to members, cooperatives and the country in general.

However, he said, in 2014, during the celebration of the anniversary of cooperatives worldwide, cooperatives cited technology gaps among the challenges they faced.

"Cooperatives have had big gaps in technology, yet technology helps in coordination of activities for common interests,” he noted.

"The adoption of and advancement in technology among cooperatives will enhance their productivity and take them to the next level,” he noted.

The price of the laptop ranges from Rwf230,000 to Rwf530,000 depending on such additional products as software, internet connectivity and solar kit.

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