The Government of Rwanda and One UN Rwanda yesterday signed a $7.2 million (approximately Rwf4.96 billion) funding deal.

The grant will be used to strengthen the capacity of national and sub-national institutions to generate data and enhance evidence-based policy planning, analysis and monitoring and evaluation, according to the Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, Claver Gatete.

The support is in line with the Second Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS2), especially on increasing engagement of citizens in development planning at all levels, he said.

"This support will also focus on in-depth analysis and utilisation of existing information for evidence-based policy making, monitoring and evaluation, especially at decentralised levels.

"Developing our capacities in data and demographic collection and analysis is critical in policy making and economic development,” Gatete said yesterday.

The five-year (2013 -2018) programme plan is derived from the United Nations Development Assistance Plan (UNDAP).

It outlines the continued support by UN agencies in capacity building for national and sub-national institutions, coordinated by the Institute of Statistics of Rwanda, in conducting high quality data collection, data analysis and dissemination, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Rwanda, Lamin Manneh, said.

"You cannot manage what you cannot measure, and that’s why we are partnering with government in areas of capacity building. Data collection and analysis are instrumental in tracking progress toward the realisation of the EDPRS2 and other international development goals,” Manneh noted.

Overall the project will support institutional capacity building for data production in socio-demographic and economic surveys such as census, a comprehensive food security and vulnerability analysis and demographic and health survey.

It will also support integrated households living conditions survey, various more sector specific surveys and frameworks like gender statistics framework.