CrimsonLogic opens Rwanda office
Janice Heng
Singapore
E-GOVERNMENT products and services provider CrimsonLogic has opened an office in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, as a hub for East Africa that will also support the firm's operations across the continent.
"This marks a major milestone in our relationship with Rwanda and the greater Africa continent," said CrimsonLogic chairman Eugene Wong.
Although this is CrimsonLogic's only office in Africa, the firm has been active in the continent for over a decade, implementing e-government and trade-related projects in 11 African countries.
The office's opening on Thursday was attended by Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Koh Poh Koon, as well as representatives from the Singapore Business Federation (SBF), the Rwanda government and partner firm RwandaOnline Platform.
The event came near the end of Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Dr Koh's state visit to Kenya and Rwanda from June 12 to 14.
In conjunction with the visit, 20 Singapore firms took part in a business mission led by Enterprise Singapore and the SBF, with Mr Wong heading the Rwanda leg of the trip.
CrimsonLogic's involvement in East Africa began in 2010, with the firm creating an integrated e-judiciary platform for the Mauritius government, and a single electronic trade window for Mozambique.
The firm has been working with the government of Rwanda since 2014. In 2015, it partnered RwandaOnline and the Rwanda Development Board ICT Department to develop an e-citizen portal.
On yesterday's office opening, RwandaOnline chief executive officer Clement Uwajeneza said: "We are happy that CrimsonLogic has chosen Rwanda as its base for its East African operations, and see it as a testament of the strong working relationship we managed to cultivate over the years."
Said Mr Wong: "We are committed to continue contributing to Rwanda's vision to be a knowledge-based economy by 2020."
He highlighted Rwanda's investment-friendly environment for Singapore firms, adding: "The country welcomes Singapore companies as they trust us to bring both innovation and quality in partnerships towards building their digital economy."
CrimsonLogic chief executive officer Saw Ken Wye said the firm looks forward to replicating its success in Rwanda in other African nations too.
The firm also works with local agencies to grow the local IT talent pool, investing in close to 10 local graduates each year via its Rwanda Technology Associate Programme.
