Leading business management software provider Soft Center has announced its expansion plans in Kenya, Tanzania and other East African countries.
The Burundi-based firm is searching for investment partners willing to provide US$630,000 investment money needed to set up offices globally and consolidate home establishment.
“For investing in Africa you need guts. I hope to find people with guts to team up with and be successful together,” Désiré Nshimirimana, Director at Soft Center, told VC4Africa.
“The Eastern African economies are developing fast, especially the private sector. Growing businesses have growing needs for ICT-systems to facilitate their operations and to support the management.
“We see today that Eastern African companies lack proper ICT-systems very much, especially in the SME segment. This gives good business opportunities for competitive and innovative ICT solutions providers. Soft Center has proven to be one, so we are confident to grow there,” Nshimirimana explained.
Service additions, such as electronic driven marketing (EDM) and electronic archiving are also in the pipeline.
The company provides development, selling and implementation of business management software.
Soft Center is the first integrated management systems for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to assist with account management, book keeping, stock management payroll and human resource management (HRM), among other services.
Smaller businesses will be offered services to achieve higher growth in the lower end of the market.
“The ICT sector is still very small and consequently it lacks the capacities to develop and provide advanced solutions. The sector mainly relies on imports,” Nshimirimana added.
The company, with a market share above 50 percent, currently excels in providing national services to medium sized enterprises.
According to Nshimirimana, Burundi is not yet a “popular investment destination”, but it is currently developing to become such.
Progress is signified by the World Bank recently congratulating the country on its great measure of business climate improvement.
