Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA) and Trademark East Africa (TMA) signed a USD 600,000 deal to facilitate digitization of key processes that will improve the authority’s ability to provide services to traders, monitor and enforce compliance to standards on selected imports. The Funding is provided by United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) through TMA.
This Funding to RURA is part of TMA’s USD 57Million programme with the Government of Rwanda (GOR); that was launched in 2018. Within this, TMA works with various Rwanda Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as well as the Private Sector and Civil Society organizations to support hard and soft infrastructure interventions that reduce cost of doing business, improve efficiency of key trade processes, build capacity of local industries to produce and/or manufacture world class standards goods, and build linkages to markets.
This funding will go towards supporting the adoption of a Converged Licensing Management System that will enhance compliance to standards and enforce regulation in Rwanda’s trade environment by reducing transaction time and cost incurred by businesses through effective trade systems and procedures.
The project will also digitize licensing, inspection of imported electronics and allied goods and protection of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs). The project will also contribute towards Government of Rwanda’s ambition to have zero trips and zero paper in all Government services.
The two partners made the announcement of this support during the signing of a Partner Support Agreement and Project Charter today at RURA headquarters in Kigali.
TMA’s Rwanda Country Director, Patience Mutesi said, “The information portal will afford importers dealing with electronics and allied products the luxury of undertaking necessary documentation from anywhere in the world. Transaction delays will be significantly reduced, and businesses will save money in the process. RURA on the other hand will have more accurate data and statistics to aid in decision making, especially regarding further simplification of processes.”
Speaking at the event, RURA Director General, Patrick Nyirishema said, “Providing self-service and e-services is a top priority for RURA. Establishing a Converged Licensing Management System as a one-stop portal for licensing is in line with the Government’s policy for citizen centric service delivery”
Notes for Editors
For more information, please contact:
Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority
François Gatete
Senior Manager, Information Systems –RURA
TradeMark Africa
Jackie Zizane,
Programme Manager, TMA Rwanda
