• Faye visits Rwanda’s Irembo platform to study e-governance model
• Senegal eyes digital transformation with $2B modernization plan
• Kigali and Dakar lead regionally in e-government efforts
  

Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye visited the headquarters of Irembo, Rwanda’s national digital platform, on Oct. 18, during his official trip to Kigali. He was briefed on how the system operates. The platform provides access to more than 150 online public services.

Established in 2015, Irembo has helped Rwanda digitize almost all government services, from tax payments and document renewals to certificate requests and permit applications. The platform could serve as a model for Senegal, which is working to speed up its own digital transformation.

Under President Faye, Senegal has launched a major digital modernization program worth 1.105 trillion CFA francs (around $2 billion), supported by several technical and financial partners. The country aims to become a regional digital hub by 2034.

Both Kigali and Dakar are recognized as African leaders in e-governance, though they still trail behind globally. In the 2024 UN E-Government Development Index, Senegal ranked 135th (0.5163 out of 1), while Rwanda ranked 119th (0.5799). Both exceed the African average (0.4247) but remain below the global average (0.6382).

Adoni Conrad Quenum