Many businesses in Rwanda began with notebooks to track sales and daily activities. Over time, some moved to spreadsheets. That helped but still left plenty of room for mistakes.

Others turned to free tools or foreign systems that initially seemed promising.

These solutions, however, created their own challenges. They were expensive to maintain, provided minimal support, and often included workflows that did not align with how local businesses actually operate.

For those who opted for fully imported platforms, these issues were felt even more strongly. Subscription fees were billed in foreign currencies, training was overly generic, and inflexible processes required staff to adjust to the software rather than allowing the software to adapt to their needs.

Even larger companies were not spared. Instead of notebooks, they often ended up with different systems for each department. One for sales. Another for stock. Another for finance. With no way to pass data across teams, managers were left reconciling mismatched numbers and spending hours chasing information.

These frustrations created an opening for something new. First introduced in 2015, the OTO Software Suite was built in Rwanda to address these challenges head-on. It brings together point-of-sale, inventory, back-office finance, procurement, and accommodation management through OTO Frontdesk, designed specifically for hotels and guest facilities.

Designed for local businesses, Made for Rwanda

Kapp MicroSystems drew on lessons from both local and international systems. The team found that businesses wanted tools that were simpler, more affordable, and better integrated. OTO Software was built to meet those expectations.

Take procurement, for instance. In many businesses, this process typically involves chasing emails, filling out paper forms, and re-entering data into various systems.

With OTO, everything happens in one seamless flow: staff raise a requisition, managers approve it, purchase orders are generated, and when the goods arrive, delivery is confirmed through a Goods Received Note (GRN) — a digital record that shows what was received. Every step is tracked and connected to finance and inventory, eliminating delays and confusion.

And it’s not only procurement that shows the value of integration. For shopkeepers, the POS system replaces handwritten ledgers and updates stock in real time. For accommodation facilities, the Frontdesk app brings together reservations, guest check-in/out, billing, and website bookings under one roof.

Built by experts, built for Rwanda

Kapp’s experts created OTO with local business practices in mind, making it simple and practical to use. Their focus is on tools that reduce paperwork, cut down errors, and give business owners more time to focus on growth.

More than software

OTO isn’t just a bundle of apps. At the end of the day, it’s about making work a little less stressful. The idea is straightforward: technology should take weight off your shoulders, not pile more on. For the shop owner who’s used to balancing sales in a notebook, OTO means fewer late nights chasing numbers. For the accountant, it’s cleaner reports and fewer mistakes to explain. And for the hotel manager, it’s one place to handle bookings, billing, and stock without flipping between three or four different systems.

There’s also the bigger picture. Alongside the suite, Kapp runs a managed website service that ties straight into OTO. That means a business’s online presence isn’t floating out there on its own; it’s connected, so sales, bookings, and inventory all move together.

Looking forward

OTO Software may have been built in Rwanda, but the problems it tackles are not unique to Rwanda. Businesses across Africa face the same hurdles: software that is too expensive, too complicated, or simply not designed for their specific work processes. OTO was shaped here with those realities in mind. It shows that local solutions do not just stand alongside foreign systems; they often solve the problems that matter most.

About OTO Software Suite

OTO is a Rwandan-developed ERP suite that includes POS, Inventory, Back-office (with Procurement), and Frontdesk for accommodation facilities. Introduced in 2015, it helps businesses streamline operations and stay compliant with local regulations.

The writer is a communications and strategy consultant with Kapp MicroSystems.