Context and Rationale of the Project
Rwanda’s commitment to
democratic governance and citizen-cantered development is grounded in its
Constitution (2003, revised 2015) and implemented through national frameworks
such as the NST2 (2024–2029) and Vision 2050, which emphasize decentralization,
citizen participation, accountability, and inclusive development supported by a
strong legal and institutional framework governing local government and
representative councils. However, despite these strong policy foundations, the
meaningful and equitable participation of women, youth, and persons with
disabilities in decentralized governance remains limited due to structural,
socio-cultural, and institutional barriers, as well as weak capacities and
insufficiently inclusive consultation mechanisms that reduce their influence in
planning and decision-making. Since
August 2026, with support from GIZ
Rwanda, the project has addressed these gaps by strengthening inclusive
governance through the empowerment of these groups, enhancing social
accountability, and improving the responsiveness of decentralized institutions
to citizens’ priorities.
Project
Goal and Objectives
Overall
Goal: To promote
inclusive governance in Rwanda through equitable participation of women, youth,
and persons with disabilities.
Specific
Objectives:
· To strengthen the capacities of CSOs
and self-representing groups (NWC, NYC,
PwDs) to effectively engage in local governance and monitor citizen
participation.
·
To
promote inclusivity in governance by evaluating the extent to which Imihigo and
District Action Plans ensure equitable representation and address the needs of
women, youth, and persons with disabilities.
Implementation Approach
The
project is being implemented through a participatory approach that emphasizes
capacity development. Key features include collaborative engagement with local
governments, councils, and citizen platforms, use of social accountability
tools (community scorecards, citizen forums, Imihigo reviews), policy and media
engagement to amplify citizen voices, a strong Monitoring, Evaluation and
Learning (MEL) system to support adaptive management, learning, and
evidence-based advocacy and sustainability through institutional strengthening,
local ownership, gender mainstreaming, and integration into existing governance
structures such as Imihigo, citizen assemblies, and district councils.
Geographic Scope and Beneficiaries
The project is being implemented
across all sectors of the two selected districts, namely Nyamasheke and
Nyamagabe, in alignment with LG4P’s target districts. Direct
beneficiaries will include representatives of civil society organizations
(CSOs), particularly CCOAIB member organizations, as well as self-representing
groups, including the National Women’s Council (NWC), National Youth Council
(NYC), and persons with disabilities (PwDs) from all sectors of the two
intervention districts. The initiative is expected to directly reach, among
others, 544 council members and 1,222 village council members.
Project Expected Results
·
Strengthened the capacity of CSOs and
self-representing groups, including NWC, NYC, and PwDs, in monitoring citizens’
participation and effective engagement on decentralized governance structures
to enable active participation in decision-making processes.
·
Promoted inclusive planning, implementation, and
monitoring of Imihigo and District Action Plans that ensure equitable
representation and priorities of self-representing groups.
· Enhanced quality of citizen
engagement, feedback mechanisms, and accountability in local planning and
monitoring processes.
