The Ministry of Agriculture has increased its gender-focused budget by 44 per cent, from Rwf65.2 billion to Rwf93.9 billion, while Rulindo District's allocation rose by 277 per cent, from Rwf1.6 billion to Rwf5.9 billion, according to an analysis of gender-responsive budgeting in Rwanda. The findings are contained in a report on the status of Gender-Responsive Budgeting (GRB) covering the 2025/26 and 2026/27 financial years released on November 11. ALSO READ: Lawmakers push for evidence-based gender budgeting The analysis, conducted by the Civil Society Organisations' Umbrella for Human Rights Promotion and Protection (CLADHO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN) and the Ministry of Local Government (MINALOC), reviewed 30 Gender Budget Statements from six ministries, eight districts and the City of Kigali. The institutions reviewed include the ministries of agriculture, education, trade and industry, infrastructure, health and environment, as well as Bugesera, Gisagara, Muhanga, Musanze, Ngororero, Nyagatare, Rubavu and Rulindo districts. Ministries increase gender-focused allocations Five of the six ministries that were reviewed increased their gender-focused allocations in the 2026/27 financial year, while the Ministry of Infrastructure recorded a 30 per cent decline, according to Peter Kalinganire, a gender-responsive budgeting and planning expert who presented the analysis. The Ministry of Agriculture recorded an increase from Rwf65.2 billion to Rwf93.9 billion, while the Ministry of Health's allocation rose from Rwf17.4 billion to Rwf46.8 billion. The Ministry of Education more than tripled its allocation, from Rwf3.9 billion to Rwf12.3 billion. The Ministry of Environment increased its budget from Rwf3.8 billion to Rwf4.3 billion, while the Ministry of Trade and Industry doubled its allocation from Rwf400 million to Rwf800 million. In contrast, the Ministry of Infrastructure's gender-focused budget declined from Rwf337.3 billion to Rwf235.6 billion, a reduction of about Rwf102 billion. Kalinganire attributed the education increase partly to Mastercard Foundation scholarships worth Rwf7.9 billion, with women accounting for 70 per cent of beneficiaries, and scholarships supporting girls in technical and vocational education and training (TVET). ALSO READ: Minister urges gov’ts to increase gender budget In health, the increase is linked to hospital and maternity block construction, allocated Rwf31.2 billion, and community-based health insurance, which received Rwf5.3 billion. The infrastructure reduction was mainly associated with lower allocations for grid electrification, which fell by Rwf47 billion, and employment programmes through the housing authority, which declined by Rwf46 billion. District allocations present mixed picture Four of the eight districts reviewed increased their gender-focused budgets, two maintained almost similar allocations, while two recorded declines. Rulindo registered the largest reported increase of 277 per cent, from Rwf1.6 billion to Rwf5.9 billion. Gisagara's allocation rose by 157 per cent to Rwf4 billion, Bugesera's by 142 per cent to Rwf7.8 billion, and Ngororero's by 52 per cent to Rwf8.3 billion, the highest among the districts reviewed. Nyagatare and Muhanga maintained almost unchanged allocations of about Rwf5.5 billion and Rwf4.2 billion, respectively. Musanze recorded a 39 per cent decline, from Rwf9.5 billion to Rwf5.8 billion, while Rubavu's allocation fell by 43 per cent, from Rwf7 billion to Rwf4 billion. Kalinganire said the reductions were partly linked to the completion of road construction and settlement upgrading projects rather than a weaker commitment to gender equality. Women remain under-represented in leadership Despite the increased allocations, women continue to occupy a smaller share of leadership positions in the institutions reviewed. ALSO READ: Rwanda commended for advancing women's land rights Across the six ministries, women account for 36 per cent of all employees but hold only 27 per cent of leadership positions, including top management, senior management and director-level posts. In four ministries, women occupy less than 30 per cent of leadership positions. The Ministry of Infrastructure has the lowest representation, at 16 per cent, with no woman in top management. Education stands at 25 per cent, trade and industry at 26 per cent, and agriculture at 27 per cent. The Ministry of Environment comes closest to gender balance, with women holding 35 per cent of leadership positions and accounting for 36 per cent of its workforce. In the health sector, women make up 53 per cent of employees but occupy only 34 per cent of leadership positions. A similar pattern is evident in districts. Only the City of Kigali and Muhanga meet the 30 per cent benchmark for women's representation in leadership, at 33 per cent and 31 per cent, respectively. The City of Kigali also has the highest proportion of women among its employees, at 41 per cent. Rulindo and Ngororero have the lowest leadership representation, at 15 per cent and 14 per cent, respectively, while Gisagara stands at just seven per cent. None of Gisagara's 25 directors is a woman. Christine Mukankundiye, Gender-Responsive Budgeting Analyst at MINECOFIN, warned that limited female representation in decision-making could undermine efforts to prioritise gender-responsive spending. Having few women where budget decisions are made can slow efforts to prioritise gender-responsive spending, she said, adding that public planning and budgeting should respond to the different needs and priorities of women and men. Good practices and remaining challenges The analysis says the environment ministry’s Ngaruyinka programme uses village gender action plans, with a women’s safe space, gender champions, a complaint mechanism and 40% hiring quotas in contracts. The agriculture ministry runs household dialogues with 22,950 livestock farmers and 8,000 dairy households, helping families share decision-making and workload more fairly. In Ngororero, and through the education ministry, girls are supported to stay in school with hygiene packages, sanitary-pad rooms and places in non-traditional technical and vocational training (TVET). The City of Kigali and Gisagara help teen mothers return to school or TVET through reintegration, start-up kits and support for victims of gender-based violence. In Nyagatare, a lit road was built to reduce rape and robbery, a market has 102 of its 128 stalls reserved for women, and gender-based violence training is given on Rwanda Transport Development Agency (RTDA) sites. The agriculture ministry reports 70% of female- and male-headed households using inputs, while Gisagara reports female and male numbers on every output, such as 6,000 jobs split into 4,000 for women and 2,000 for men. Rubavu and Ngororero give nutrition support to pregnant and breastfeeding women to tackle stunting, with Rubavu reporting a 70% increase. Ngororero offers disability and old-age grants, while Rulindo provides assets and TVET to poor households led by women. District planners identified limited staff capacity, inadequate sex-disaggregated data, inconsistent GBS planning across sectors and between central and local government, and cultural barriers to women's participation in leadership as major challenges. One of the main challenges is limited staff capacity and skills to effectively integrate gender considerations into budgeting and planning. Inadequate sex-disaggregated data also makes it difficult to identify and address gender gaps, said Maurice Nsanzamahoro, Director of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation at Nyamagabe District. Leonard Itangishaka, his counterpart at Rwamagana District, said gender budget planning remained inconsistent across sectors, while cultural attitudes continued to limit women's participation in senior leadership positions. Evariste Murwanashyaka, Child Protection and Promotion Manager at CLADHO, reiterated that the gaps include limited knowledge of gender-responsive budgeting (GRB), insufficient cooperation among district departments and the failure to involve different stakeholders in preparing gender budget statements. Some districts do not know how to integrate gender-responsive budgeting across all sectors. They may include gender-related figures in the social affairs department, but when you examine the education department, for example, you find nothing, he said. He highlighted inequalities in employment opportunities under public projects, particularly road construction. “Women are sometimes assigned lower-paid tasks while men are given better-paying opportunities, even when both groups participate in the same projects.” He added failure to integrate gender considerations into planning and budgeting can also affect the safety and accessibility of public infrastructure. “For instance, roads constructed without adequate street lighting may expose women to gender-based violence and other safety risks. Similarly, the absence of public toilets along roads and inadequate access facilities for people with disabilities can prevent different groups from benefiting equally from infrastructure projects,” Murwanashyaka explained. Assia Ingabire Peace, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at MINALOC, said further capacity-building efforts would be undertaken to address the gaps. We have to assess major factors affecting the number of women in leadership positions and the consideration of gender in major projects, she said.
