Countries of the Global South are increasingly turning to one another for solutions, opening up new opportunities for knowledge sharing, policy learning and the transfer of homegrown innovations, as traditional development assistance comes under growing pressure globally.

This was highlighted at the inaugural Convention on South-South and Triangular Cooperation held in Kigali on June 22, organised by the Rwanda Cooperation Initiative (RCI) in partnership with UNDP.

The two-day gathering brought together government officials, development partners and international organisations to explore how cooperation among developing countries can be strengthened and translated into concrete development outcomes through shared learning, policy alignment and joint implementation.

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In an exclusive interview with The New Times, Rwanda Cooperation Initiative (RCI) Chief Executive Officer Richard Niwenshuti said the shift reflects a broader change in how countries approach development solutions, rather than a simple response to reduced external assistance.

He noted that countries facing similar challenges are increasingly recognising the value of learning from one another’s reforms and experiences instead of relying solely on externally designed approaches.

"Countries facing similar challenges are increasingly recognising the value of learning from one another’s reforms and experiences rather than relying solely on externally designed approaches,” he said.

"South-South cooperation has existed before and it does not replace traditional development partnerships. It is based on the fact that countries in the Global South have something to share and they can learn from each other,” he added.

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South-South cooperation, a collaboration among developing countries through the exchange of knowledge, technology, expertise and resources, is gaining renewed attention as a practical pathway to accelerate development.

For many governments, Niwenshuti said, the appeal lies in learning from countries that have faced similar constraints and development challenges.

"Some countries are not ready to go back and start from zero. They are willing to take up what others have benefited from. This shift is increasingly moving cooperation beyond study visits and conferences towards implementation,” he noted.

Rwanda’s template

Over the past eight years, RCI has hosted 10,414 delegates from 70 countries who came to learn from Rwanda’s experience in governance, digital transformation, public service delivery and economic development.

Rwanda has completed the implementation of innovative projects, including the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) implementation in 2019, IFMIS support services in 2021, e-Tax implementation in 2022, and Electronic Billing Machine (EBM) rollout in 2024.

The country is currently supporting the ongoing e-procurement implementation in Guinea.

In addition, RCI has begun implementing IFMIS in Eswatini in 2024, technical assistance for procurement reforms in 2025, and the ongoing Integrated Electronic Case Management System (IECMS) implementation in Jamaica in 2025.

Niwenshuti said these exchanges have gradually evolved into technical partnerships, institutional collaboration and the adaptation of reforms in partner countries.

"Those exchanges have increasingly evolved into technical partnerships, institutional collaborations and the adaptation of reforms in partner countries. We believe South-South cooperation could help bridge gaps created by declining external assistance,” he said.

He added that the growing number of engagements reflects a clear appetite among countries to share knowledge and identify solutions that can be financed and implemented jointly, even outside traditional aid structures.

Niwenshuti argued that while South-South cooperation is not intended to replace traditional aid mechanisms, it offers a complementary pathway by strengthening partnerships and facilitating access to practical expertise.

Established in 2018, the RCI serves as the country's platform for sharing lessons from Rwanda's development journey with other countries, particularly across Africa and the wider Global South.

The Initiative operates through five key areas that include benchmarking and study visits, advisory services for governments, targeted training programmes, exporting solutions to partner countries, and research.

The advisory services help governments seeking expertise on specific policies and reforms, while training programmes focus on building technical capacity in areas where Rwanda has developed recognised expertise, Niwenshuti explained.

One of the fastest-growing areas, however, is the export of digital and governance solutions.

"We are exporting solutions to different markets. Among the systems attracting interest from other countries are Irembo, Rwanda's digital public service platform, integrated financial management systems, and electronic procurement solutions,” he said.

The objective, he explained, is not to replicate Rwanda's experience wholesale, but to allow countries to adapt tested solutions to their own realities.

Niwenshuti said that beyond knowledge exchange, there is growing potential for countries to jointly finance and implement development priorities, reducing overreliance on traditional aid while reinforcing practical, demand-driven collaboration among developing partners.