Bobson (MSIT'18) wins $10,000 at the Tigo Changemakers competition

In October 2017, Tigo in partnership with Reach for Change launched the Tigo Digital Changemakers 2017 competition. The annual competition identifies outstanding social entrepreneurs with ideas that will leverage digital tools and technology to improve communities. Over 120 applications were received and only three declared winners in the end.

Bobson Rugambwa, an MSIT student in the class of 2018, emerged one of the winners, who each took home the grand prize of $10,000 (8.2 million Rwandan Francs). Bobson’s project, Gwiza, is a mobile based core-banking system that enables Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) members to build their financial track record by saving digitally.

With Gwiza, members of saving groups in Rwanda are able to save and also pay utilities, using their mobile phones. They can also access additional financial services such as micro-insurance, and eventually micro-pensions. In addition, the  system avails them with a credit score, that enables them access loans and other financial services. Through the platform, members can request for loans from their saving groups, and these loan requests are approved by a three-person team that the group assigned this task to. This does away with the traditional format where borrowers had to wait for the monthly group meetings, in the presence of all group members, to request for loans.

“WIth Gwiza, we are trying to serve the underserved. We want to take financial inclusion solutions to these people. The banks and telcos are doing something in bridging the financial inclusion gap, however, more needs to be done in order to achieve this goal”  says Bobson. Gwiza is currently operational in Rwanda and in neighbouring Uganda, as Jjuza. He is planning to expand the platform across the continent with a goal of availing the service to seven countries by 2022. In addition to winning the grand prize, Bobson and the other 2 winners will receive business training and access to the global network of Reach for change social entrepreneurs.

Balancing operations on Gwiza and his studies at CMU-Africa was a challenge worth taking on. According to Bobson, it gave him a good avenue to incorporate the latest technologies he learnt in class, on a real-world project. “The program [at CMU-Africa] teaches us to apply everything we learn to the African context. So continually thinking about the African perspective in innovation helped me craft a solution befitting of our context.”