Irembo, a technology company at the forefront of digitising Rwandan government services, is actively promoting its Byikorere campaign, which seeks to streamline access to government services by engaging communities nationwide. Throughout the campaign conducted in the Ruhango and Nyanza districts, a series of community engagements and informative sessions reached over 2,000 citizens. ALSO READ: Irembo’s payment gateway achieves international compliance, ensuring data protection These sessions provided insights into the utilisation of digital platforms for accessing essential services on the IremboGov platform. Launched in May 2023, Byikorere focuses on educating citizens about the effective utilisation of online service platforms. This initiative addresses the previous reliance on Irembo merchants by empowering individuals to access services independently from their own devices. Ruhango outreach In Ruhango District, the Byikorere campaign engaged over 50 district officials, 135 village leaders, and more than 63 household heads from the Byimana sector. Informative sessions covered account creation, application, and payment processes for IremboGov services, and self-application promotion under the Byikorere initiative. ALSO READ: Irembo, Africa Management Institute train agents for enhanced citizen services Continuing the campaign at Ntenyo market in Mbuye sector, over 600 citizens were educated about IremboGov services, alongside a contest to incentivize participation. Attendees demonstrating a thorough understanding of the information received Byikorere-branded merchandise as rewards. Moreover, the campaign engaged with 50 local village leaders from the Kinazi sector, assisting them in setting up Irembo accounts and demonstrating application and payment processes using new smartphones received through Airtel's connectRwanda initiative. Bridging the digital divide in Nyanza In Nyanza, the campaign kicked off with active participation in the weekly community service, Isuku Rusange, held in the Busasamana sector. Here, the Byikorere team engaged with residents, offering guidance on utilising the Irembo platform for government service applications and payments. Additionally, the team participated in citizen committees, known as Inteko y'abaturage, in the Nyagisozi sector. ALSO READ: Inside Irembo’s plan to make govt services more accessible to citizens Throughout the campaign, the team engaged with over 450 householders, providing education on the process of independently applying for government services through Irembo. Key inquiries revolved around community health insurance and ID replacement. In response, the team offered guidance on application and payment procedures, while local leaders pledged collaboration with the National Identification Agency (NIDA) to expedite National ID provision. Recognising the digital divide, the team also focused on educating citizens without smartphones on utilising Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) code to access IremboGov services. This initiative garnered interest in the Kigoma sector, Gati cell, with over 350 citizens expressing enthusiasm for learning the USSD application process. Reflecting on the successful engagement, a spokesperson for the Byikorere campaign emphasised, Our mission is to empower citizens with the knowledge and tools to access all government services conveniently. They added, The enthusiastic response from the communities in Ruhango and Nyanza reaffirms the importance of our efforts in fostering digital literacy and inclusion.
