NIRDA is a service institution that supports firm-level competitiveness (Quality compliance and market demand quantity). NIRDA aspires to be well positioned as a key player in industrial development in Rwanda. This is a critical step which has to be reflected in its new strategic orientation. This positioning spells out expected core functions in promoting research and development to support the development and competitiveness of industries.
Therefore, NIRDA will continue to operate and pursue research, development, and innovation in industrial and applied technologies. The focus will be on areas corresponding to the National Research and Innovation Agenda (NRIA) and the specific priority sector of “local production and value addition”. These areas include Construction materials, Packaging products, Textiles and leather products, Chemicals and fertilizers and Food processing.
Our Mission
To “lay a solid foundation for a structural shift in industrial development by producing competitive goods and services through technology and innovation while encouraging and preserving environmental standards.”
Vision
To become a center of excellence in the provision of green and private-led solutions for the development of competitive industries towards a diversified economy in Rwanda.
Core values
- Teamwork
- Integrity
- Excellence
- Innovation
Core Objectives
- Improve the competitiveness of existing industries in order to increase their export potential or their potential to undertake import substitution.
- Identify new sub-sectors or value chains where investment by the private sector would likely lead to export growth or import substitution.
NIRDA’S PILLARS
Pillar 1: Science, Technology, and Innovation for the growth of industries
The first pillar aims at improving the current status of technology mapping, foresight, and investment in technology development and proposing solutions to support the government’s overarching goal of diversified and competitive industries in Rwanda. The interventions under this pillar are expected to improve NIRDA’s position as a key player in the entire ecosystem of science, technology, and innovation in Rwanda.
The main result expected from this pillar is the improvement in technology mapping and foresight and in technology development investment at the firm level for improved and diversified production of goods and services.
Pillar 2: Private-led technology development, innovation and partnerships for industrial development
NIRDA’s current business model is mainly based on supporting technology acquisition by the private sector or operating industries through open calls and other related support services. It features a supply-driven approach that nourishes a paternalistic behavior of industries rather than a demand-driven approach that encourages the creation of technologies in response to the market’s demand.
Thus, the shift embraced by this new strategic plan is to empower private companies and industries by responding to their needs and requests to develop prototypes. This will be done through technology incubation and acceleration in order to establish and expand competitive industries in the tone of the “Made in Rwanda” brand. In addition, the new approach will promote the private sector’s active engagement in R&DI as well as the development of products needed on domestic and international markets. The main expected result is to increase locally made industrial products and services, translating into increased and diversified industrial production to serve domestic and export markets.
Pillar 3: Governance and institutional arrangements for industrial development
One of the key issues identified during the review of the NIRDA strategic plan 2018-2022 is the existence of deficiencies in the coordination of government institutions in the governance of the industrial sector. The evaluation of this strategic plan revealed a misallocation of roles in the implementation of the mandates assigned to government agencies affiliated to MINICOM
and, more specifically, conflict of interests between NIRDA, NCST, RDB, and MINICOM. This weakens the governance and organization of industrial enterprises, especially SMIs, because of the numerous requirements in terms of compliance with standards and quality assurance, testing, and certification. Consequently, with this new strategic plan, NIRDA should clarify its role in industrial governance vis-Ă -vis other public institutions, starting with its own organizational enhancement as an autonomous government agency. In this regard, the aim is to improve service delivery by NIRDA to enhance industrial governance and green growth.