Kigali, 22 September 2021- Kigali, 22nd September 2021 – The Governments  of Rwanda and Japan in collaboration with World Bank, Spark Microgrants, and Comic Relief today launched a $6 million project to strengthen citizen engagement, and support livelihoods and income-generation in rural areas.

The Advancing Citizen Engagement Project (ACE) project aims to support small businesses to improve livelihoods for around 76,000 people— half of whom will be women— across 249 rural poor villages through small grants. The project will also provide training and support to government officials at the national and local level on how to engage citizens in local development planning. Working in partnership with the Ministry of Local Government, this practical experience will inform a new national framework on participatory village planning.  

“The government of Rwanda is committed to strengthening decentralization and empowering citizens. This project will enhance our platforms for participation at the local level, building the capacity of local and national government authorities to lead development planning at the village level that involves and empowers all Rwandese.” Said Claudine Marie Solange Nyinawagaga, Director General of the Local Administrative Entities Development Agency (LODA)…