by Réna Kakon. August 2023.
The perfect country to pilot.
Rwanda is known for its political stability, safety and traffic cops are more honest than elsewhere in Africa. Often cited as a model for many Africans, Rwanda’s recovery from the genocide has been impressive under the (police state 🙊) leadership of Paul Kagame.
On the international scene, the country shines! It has efficiently implemented public health & safety policies, created an enabling environment for foreign investors, and established itself as an innovation champion. Things work!
🌱 Kigali is a well organized and clean city where every single motto driver is wearing an helmet and plastic bags have been forbidden since 2008 - it makes great photo; contrasting with the rest of the country though… I mean let’s be real!
💰 From an investor perspective, everything is done to attract capital and welcome foreign investors. You can create a company in 24h - faster than in France!
🚀 Rwanda wants to support innovation by encouraging public-private partnerships. The country made headlines for being the ideal country to pilot for startups in Africa and working with regulators. Zipline has largely taken advantage of that to launch its blood delivery drones 7 years ago, and has become the national drone delivery service.
Why is Rwanda the perfect proof of concept country??
- Easy to test fast. Small country but a decent market size with 13M people, concentrated in Kigali.
- Low barrier to entry. Private sector driven economy.
- Predictable and attractive. Fiscal and non-fiscal incentives.
- Support from the government. There is a strong willingness to create an enabling environment for startups and innovation
- Located at the heart of East Africa. There is direct access to other markets (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Burundi) and also direct flights from many countries (you can’t take that for granted in other countries in Africa).
In this country report
I am sharing with you :
👉 my experience of the Rwandan culture and living in Kigali.
👉 my insight about Kigali’s startup scene.
And, as always see at the bottom of the report some tips to make your stay in Rwanda as wonderful as mine … of course climbing another mountain was part of the fun activities and I was lucky to meet a family of mountain Gorillas snacking on the hiking trail 🤭.
Quick facts about Rwanda
Distinctive Tech Initiatives and Key players
🎉 Eden Care. 1st YC company.
- Summer 2023 is the first YC batch with a Rwandan startup.
- Eden Care designs, underwrites, distributes, and manages group health insurance plans in Africa. We help employers provide affordable health insurance plans for employees.
💰 Norrsken. 1st Africa Hub for Startups.
- Beautiful nordic style co-working and event space for startups in Kigali founded by Norrsken Kigali (Swedish based organization sponsored by the founder of Klarna). They choose Rwanda for their first Africa hub.
👨⚖️ Irembo Gov. 1st GovTech startups.
- Irembo is on a mission to digitize and maintain public services.
- It is a model of public/private partnership. The government of Rwanda holds a significant stake in the company. Irembo is a for profit business which charges a commission on the digital services which creates an incentive to provide the best services and make them accessible to users.
🖌️ African Leadership University. Kigali Campus.
- ALU is a network of universities launched in 2008 by Fred Swaniker. In 2019, ALU made it to the Fast Company’s list of the World’s 50 Most Innovative companies!
- The main campus opened in Mauritius in 2015, and in 2017 the second campus in Kigali. This is huge for such a small country to attract an institution witch such ambitions for education in Africa. Great PR for the country!
Startup Scene
Founded in 2015
Mobility. Assembles and finances electric motorcycle. Developed a network of battery swap stations allowing drivers to swap batteries faster than refilling a tank with petrol and shields vehicle buyers from the high upfront cost of a lithium battery pack.
Founded in 2017
Digitize and maintain public services.
Founded in 2018
Healthcare. High-quality medical supplies and equipment throughout Central and East Africa through an innovative data-driven procurement platform
Founded in 2020
LegalTech. We help companies establish efficient legal processes that support collaboration, AI-supported learning, and smarter decision-making over time.
Founded in 2014.
Food & Supply Chain. Solution that combines food production, manufacturing, and distribution to build an integrated food ecosystem
Founded in 2016
FMCG. Digital retail and last-mile distribution platform for pharmaceuticals and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs) with a specific product focus on women’s healthcare needs and household items. Series B in 2023.
Founder’s Interview - Remy Muhire, Pindo
@Jérémy Goillot > TO ADD
Kigali Tips
- Safety: 🟢 Not any issue, very safe city and country.
- How to move around town: Motto taxi - ride hailing doesn’t work.
- Where to stay? Kimihurura is my favorite neighborhood to live. There are a few coffee shops, restaurants, a gym, and it’s central. Kigali is very small anyways so you can cross town quickly.
- Cost voice & data: MTN bundle of 10,000 RWF for 30k MB - take it at the airport but be patient it’s super long.
- Cost of Airbnb for 1 month: there aren’t many Airbnb, you can find apart hotels for $300 per week.
- Cost of a meal: $10-$20
- Cost of a beer: 1000 RWF ($0.70). A few are famous: Impeke Sorghum, Mutzig Lite, Virunga Mist.
- Favorite restaurants: the restaurant scene is not great in Kigali, even grocery shopping is a challenge (you’ll find a few convenient stores). Indian restaurants are always a safe bet in East Africa 😉. The nice thing about Kigali is that most restaurants are outdoor. Here are a few on my list:
- Poivre Noir: French restaurant if you are craving steak & frites.
- Now Now Rolex: an African street food restaurant, super cool vibe.
- Soy Asian Table: for some asian fusion in outdoor area.
- Khana Khazana Kiyovu: very good Indian restaurant.
- Nyurah: a wanna-be-fancy restaurant, interesting.
- Favorite coffee shops: Rubia Coffee Roasters, Fika Café, Migano Cafe, Indabo Café
Others places to visit in Rwanda
- Mount Bisoke, at the border with Congo. You can either hike to Diane Fossey’s camp and grave or all the way up to the crater of the volcano where you’ll see water - it is a steep and slippery hike. I did the hike to the crater and was rewarded on the way down by the encounter of a Gorilla family ❤️. The permit to Mount Bisoke is $70 vs. over $1000 for Gorillas trekking.
- Kibuye, a cute town on the lake Kivu to relax, accommodation is basic with nice views on the lake (e.g. Cormoran Lodge).
- Nyungwe national park, one of the most beautiful and preserved forest with its famous 2 hours canopy walk. You can also do Chimpanzee tracking - they often stay high up in the trees but it is fun to track them, they’re playful.
Final Thoughts
The reality is that things are pretty slow and not so innovative. You don’t feel the hustling mode that you can feel in other African cities. To illustrate that I love to compare African cities mobility solutions. In Kigali, forget about ride hailing apps, they exist, look nice, but they are absolutely not working 🤭, and be (very) patient if you want to take a taxi.
Overall, I think Kigali is still an amazing place to live if you are looking for a slow life, easy access to East African cities, and if you want to launch a tech company you’ll get full support from the local ecosystem which can help move very fast! You feel super safe in Kigali and everyone is friendly. I spent 3 weeks in Kigali after 1 month in Nairobi, and I have to stay it felt so good to be able to walk in the street safely and cross town without experiencing traffic jam.
Lastly, I was surprised to see that most people speak English rather than French now, especially the younger generation, this wasn’t the case on my first trip to Kigali in 2017.
