The private sector has embarked on an ambitious plan to start exporting ICT services to neighbouring countries, but innovators and creators say they have not received adequate support to realise this plan.

Appearing before parliament two weeks ago, Prime Minister Anastase Murekezi said that the government has embarked on a new programme to expand the export market for its local ICT-based products and services.

PM Murekezi was making his inaugural presentation of government programmes to legislators.

However, the country’s ambitions to export ICT products might be delayed as experts claim unfair competition in the market and decry lack of motivation and creativity for programmers.

In an interview with Rwanda Today, Patrick Gacirane, a software engineer in Kigali said that foreign companies have been taking the lion’s share of the market even when local software developers can provide the same skills as the foreign developers.

“There is a need to develop human capacity to tap into opportunities available locally in ICT, which has largely been dominated by foreign companies,” said Gacirane, the owner of a shopkeeper software designed to manage stock.

“I think emphasis should be put on product development, which involves understanding users, business technology and building a great product that goes beyond your personal network,” said Clarisse Iribagiza, the chief executive officer of HEHE Ltd.

Ms Iribagiza, who is also the 2012 inaugural winner of the Inspire Africa Entrepreneurship, said the government might need to consider sharing of ICT information on various international markets.

“One of our biggest challenges while exporting our solutions has been overcoming assumptions made about a certain market simply because we had limited information on what is really happening on the ground,” she said.

Reacting to the concerns raised, Minister Jean Philbert Nsengimana, who is in charge of Youth and ICT, said the Ministry alongside Rwanda Development Board and the Ministry of Trade and Industry are working on a comprehensive strategy that will promote exports in the sector.

“The focus will be on outsourcing business processes and the strategy is open-ended where software developers can access both in and outside markets, while also equally addressing issues of competitiveness,” said Mr Nsengimana.

Officials believe that software development of mobile solutions, banking software; maintenance and networking services will increase job opportunities and revenue.

Rwanda recently entered into a $145 million joint venture with KT Corporation, a South Korean IT firm, to deploy a high speed 4G LTE broadband network, which will cover 95 per cent of the population before 2017.