The Federal Association of IT – SMEs of Germany (BITMI) is the only ICT industry association that exclusively represents the interests of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Its members come from all areas of this sector and are, mostly owner led, medium-sized IT-enterprises. In the association, long established IT enterprises meet with young start-ups to discuss their common interests. Thereby, the association represents the interests of more than 2400 medium-sized IT-enterprises in Germany with a sales volume of several billion Euros.

It is the aim of BITMi to accelerate corporate growth, the IT-SME’s productivity and to promote market development by intensive networking. Hereby, it is especially important to strengthen Germany as an economic location. Therefore, BITMi cooperates with the Federal Ministry of Economics and obtains a hearing for the IT-SMEs. Through its membership in European Digital SME Alliance – the only European association that exclusively represents IT-SME – BITMi’s voice is heard in all Europe. The IT-SME’s perspectives, chances and challenges are communicated to the general public and politicians.

The last aspect is especially important for the BITMi expert groups. These groups, formed by BITMi members, discuss various topics ranging from technologies such as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) to economic feasibility studies or standardization and regulation. The results are being published as guidelines, case studies or scientific articles. Several BITMi certificates, such as the “BITMi quality seal” or the ISO-QM-system are based on the work of expert groups. Moreover, the association provides various services to its members to support their competitiveness.

ICT Chamber

01/01/2023

The Rwandan ICT Chamber represents the interests of over 300 ICT companies in Rwanda  and is thus the central private sector institution for the development of the Rwandan ICT  sector. As such, the ICT Chamber is involved in all decision-making processes of the Rwandan  government on Rwanda’s strategic orientation as East Africa’s ICT hub and advises ministries  and government organizations on implementation.

The ICT Chamber is also an important  contact point for foreign investors and actively promotes the export of Rwandan IT solutions  in Africa.

The Rwandan ICT Chamber was founded in 2011 as the youngest member of the Rwandan  umbrella organization of all chambers and associations – the Private SectorFederation (PSF).  It brings together the various IT associations such as software developers, digital media,  hardware manufacturers, service providers and start-ups.

In its mandate to represent the interests of Rwandan ICT companies, the Chamber offers the  following services to its members, among others:

• Dialogue with the Government to create a favourable environment for the ICT sector in  Rwanda
• Export promotion to African countries and market development within Rwanda
• Access to financial services for companies and start-ups
• Promotion of start-ups and innovative business ideas by the kLab and FabLab technology hubs
• Skill Development and Capacity Development programs for member companies.

The AIPI partnership project is supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and will be constituted of a number of well-thought strategic components aiming at building Rwandan ICT-related skills and capacities, generating business opportunities for both the Rwandan and German markets, contributing in ICT- related institutional development and creating long term partnership between Rwandan and German ICT ecosystems.