Two years and Rwf1.4 billion spent in training local governments, the only excuse for not delivering will be no excuse. The central government always spends millions of francs in training local government leaders on various fronts from the capital Kigali. However, a new approach has been designed that will see local leaders trained from their respective districts. Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) will send out 30 consultant coaches to all districts to offer training aimed at addressing capacity constraints at individual, organisational and institutional levels. It is hoped that this latest effort by the central government will enhance implementation of government initiatives, especially the achievement of the ambitious Vision 2020 and the second Economic Development and Poverty Eradication Strategy growth agendas. The government will also significantly cut down on the cost accrued due to various training sessions it offers to local leaders in Kigali from time to time. Decentralising training will ensure that per diem and other facilitation given to local government leaders to attend training in Kigali will be done away with. These have been unnecessary costs over the years that should have been channeled into other initiatives to boost the productivity of local governments. Officials say the pilot study of the decentralised training arrangement done in 10 districts in 2011 yielded positive results. The central government is equipping local leaders with the on-the-job skills in planning, monitoring and evaluation of development projects to see performance contracts improve with each passing financial year.
