IremboGov's Last-Mile Agent Network and USSD Interface — Designing E-Government for Rwanda's Low-Literacy, Offline Citizens

IremboGov is Rwanda's integrated e-government platform, delivering 223+ government services online — over half of all public services — with total applications growing from 5.9 million in 2022 to 8.4 million in 2023. Only 22% of Rwandans own a smartphone, and a basic smartphone plus 1GB of data can consume roughly 60% of a poor household's monthly income, so a smartphone-only digital service would exclude much of the population.

Reach citizens the smartphone-only model would exclude by combining a nationwide network of trained human agents with a channel that works on basic feature phones without an internet connection.

Irembo deployed more than 7,000 trained agents at shopping centres and common areas across the country to assist people who lack smart devices or digital literacy, and built a USSD text interface usable on basic feature phones offline.

The share of citizens completing applications independently, without agent help, rose from 31% in 2022 to 41% in 2023. Monthly application volumes now run 300,000–500,000, with about 80% completed online, and enrolment in the Mutuelle de Santé community health insurance scheme rose 59% between July 2022 and July 2023.

Government and independent analyses are candid about remaining gaps: an estimated 5 million Rwandans still need stronger digital skills to use the platform's growing service catalogue, prompting a national target to raise digital literacy from 53% to 80% by 2027; researchers also note occasional technical disruptions and inconsistent approval timelines across agencies.