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SMEs in information technology sector key to Rwanda's national economy: ITU chief

Xinhua, February 5, 2015 Adjust font size:

Rwanda's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector is a key to restructuring its national economy, International Telecommunication Union (ITU) chief said on Wednesday.

The SMEs in Rwanda are not financially strong enough to compete with big organizations at emerging markets such as the e-commerce sector, ICU Secretary General Zhao Houlin said after his meeting with Rwandan President Paul Kagame in the capital city of Kigali.

The SMEs are key players in Rwanda's ICT industry and have the potential to restructure its national economy, Zhao said.

There is a growing need in Rwanda to tap into the potentials of SMEs in the ICT industry, he said, adding that entrepreneurship will help boost the country's economic growth.

A 2014 report on Rwanda's ICT sector showed the number of users of mobile finance service in the country has doubled since 2012, reaching 2.5 million.

In the agricultural industry, more than 11,000 farmers reply on "e-Soko", an information platform, to price their products, according to Jean Philbert Nsengimana, minister of Youth and the ICT.

This was Zhao's first visit to a foreign country since he was elected as head of the ITU in late October last year. Endi