3i Africa Summit: Technology Alone Cannot Solve Africa’s Problems— Rwanda Central Bank

Rwanda’s Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Rwanda, Hon. Nick Barigye, has cautioned African countries against relying solely on technology to drive digital transformation, insisting that governance and policy coordination remain the real engines of progress.

Speaking during a fireside chat at the 2026 3i Africa Summit in Accra on Thursday, May 7, 2026, he said many governments wrongly assume technology by itself can solve economic and social challenges.

“At times, it is tempting to think technology is the answer to society’s issues. It is not,” he stressed.

The fireside chat, held under the sub-theme “DPI Success Stories: Lessons from Building and Scaling DPI Ecosystems,” examined how countries are using digital public infrastructure systems to transform payments, identity management and financial inclusion at scale.

The discussion also explored lessons from successful digital infrastructure models such as India’s UPI, Ghana’s Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems and Nigeria’s BVN system.

Mr. Barigye explained that Rwanda’s progress in digital infrastructure was achieved through strong governance, institutional coordination and a clear national vision.

“Governance provides clarity. Governance provides vision. Governance provides coordination and the ability to execute very fast,” he stated.

He highlighted Rwanda’s digital platform, “Irembo,” which currently delivers more than 240 services across over 40 institutions through a single integrated system.

According to him, the platform was designed around a government objective of “zero trip, zero error,” allowing citizens to access services digitally without physically moving between offices.

He explained that services such as criminal record checks can now be completed online within hours.

The Deputy Governor also stressed the importance of shared infrastructure, warning that fragmented systems operated independently by institutions increase costs and weaken efficiency.

“Shared infrastructure reduces cost and improves efficiency,” he said.

Mr. Barigye further argued that sustainability in digital public infrastructure should not be measured by who funds it initially, but by whether it solves real societal problems.

“The first question should not be who pays for it. The first question should be what societal problem are we solving?” he stated.

He noted that once citizens and businesses see value in digital systems, large-scale adoption naturally follows, creating long-term sustainability.

The fireside chat was moderated by Matteo Rizzi, Founder of Timepledge and Senior Advisor at the Global Finance and Technology Network.

The summit has brought together regulators, central bank officials, fintech companies and investors to discuss Africa’s digital finance future and cross-border integration.

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