On Wednesday, October 3, Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) will publish the Rwanda Governance Scorecard (RGS), the fifth edition the institution is releasing. But all eyes will be on the current state of citizen participation in planning and budgeting. This is one indicator that has lagged behind when you compare to the progress made on other indicators for the last three editions of the scorecard. While unveiling the 2017 scorecard, the Chief Executive Officer of Rwanda Governance Board called for “stronger partnership involving all concerned stakeholders to engage citizens” in planning and budgeting. Shyaka said at the time that though the current state of citizen participation in planning and budgeting showed better results than it was in the three previous years, was still “very low.” Also, the 2016 Rwanda Governance Scorecard noted an overall improvement in citizens and civil society organisations’ participation at 61% and 72% respectively. However, the sub-indicator on citizens’ satisfaction in their participation in district processes of planning and budgeting was at just at 7.40%. RGS is an annual publication of RGB that seeks to gauge the state of governance in the country, measured against a set of indicators. It was created to offer a research-based policy tool to accurately capture the status and trends of the most important aspects of governance in the country and has become a national governance index that informs the policy-making process. According to a statement, the latest scorecard is measured on eight pillars, 37 indicators as well as 157 variables. The pillars are; rule of law, political rights and civil liberties, participation and inclusiveness, safety and security, investing in human and social capital, control of corruption, transparency and accountability, quality of service delivery and economic and corporate governance. “This year’s RGS edition coincides with the adoption of the Government of Rwanda’s National Strategy for Transformation (NST1) for the coming 7 years (2017-2024),” Shyaka is quoted in a statement as saying ahead of the publication of the RGS. He added: “At this juncture, it is worth noting that the key policy recommendations of the RGS 4th edition were integrated into the NST1. Such inclusion shows how RGS tackles the real issues and how the Government of Rwanda is so keen on evidence-based policymaking,” he added. Several experts who reviewed the scorecard have commended it as a tool for knowledge and information sharing on Rwanda’s social, political and economic progress, on the continental and international arena. “The Rwanda Governance Scorecard represents an innovative mechanism for sustainable governance reforms (…) at the national level as best practice that African Union and APRM (African Peer Review Mechanism) should promote across the African continent,” said Prof. Khabele Matlosa, Director of Political Affairs, African Union Commission. “The RGS is a fascinating tool of assessing issues in one of the most critical elements of development. It combines the foundations of good governance, transparency and accountability by scientifically analysing and presenting data,” said Josephine Ajema Odera, the former Regional Program Director of UNWOMEN, Central Africa. In RGS 4th edition, safety and security came on top with 92.62% while quality service delivery ranked least with 72.93% The unveiling of the 5th Rwanda Governance Scorecard is scheduled at Kigali Serena Hotel and will bring together government officials, development partners, members of the academia, civil society organisations, private sector and the media fraternity. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
