Rwanda’s accountability for the money provided by international development organisations has been praised as one of the best on the continent. The acclaim was made by Ozonnia Ojielo, the Resident Coordinator and Representative of the UN Secretary-General to Rwanda on Thursday, March 9 in Rubavu, during the Development Partners Retreat (DPR), a two-day event that convened senior government officials, representatives of bilateral and multilateral organisations, non-governmental organisations and the private sector operating in Rwanda. ALSO READ: Rwanda ranked 4th least corrupt in Africa – new report “We don’t have any concerns about the efficient utilisation of the money that Rwanda gets from development partners. The accountability regime in Rwanda is very strong, it is one of the strongest in Africa,” he said in an interview with the media. However, Ojielo noted that Rwanda has challenges related to the rules of procurement because the government wants “to follow the procedures to the letter” which makes the procurement processes take a lot of time. At the DPR, officials discuss Rwanda’s development agenda and brainstorm ways to accelerate its achievements. The 2023 edition of the DPR took place as Rwanda’s economy continues to recover despite persistent global shocks, including the impact of Covid-19, inflationary pressures, and climate shocks, among others. Discussions at the event looked into the 2022 national census outcomes and how they can accelerate the implementation of the National Strategy for Transformation 1 (NST1). Activities planned in preparation for the development of the NST1 successor programme include education reforms for human capital development with particular attention to the school feeding programme and, Rwanda’s journey to resilient agriculture in the face of emerging food security shocks, among others. Speaking at the event, Richard Tushabe, Minister of State in charge of National Treasury, said the retreat takes place with Rwanda’s economy in a better position since the outbreak of Covid-19. “There are remarkable aspects of 2022 that have been achieved due to, among others, our partnership which has contributed towards continued progress in recovery and investment in future preparedness. For instance, the holistic approach to the covid-19 pandemic allowed us to resume economic activities. And in 2022, we recorded a significant recovery of the tourism and services sector,” he said. The DPR serves as an opportunity to address issues that may have not been tackled at the quarterly development partners’ coordination group meetings. And to also have an open dialogue between the government and its development partners on the growth priorities and challenges. It sets the agenda and guides the government and development partners’ dialogue over the coming year. According to a report released in January by Transparency International, Rwanda was ranked the fourth least corrupt country in Africa in 2022.
