STRENGTHENING partnership between local leaders and development partners will lead to sustainable socio-economic transformation and help improve people’s lives, the Southern Province Governor, Alphonse Munyantwari, has said.

Munyantwari was speaking during a day-long meeting convened to discuss ways of improving collaboration between local leaders and various individuals and organisations playing a part in the country’s  socio-economic transformation.

Known as the Provincial Forum of Development Partners, it brings together local leaders and development partners including international and local non-governmental organisations, civil society organisations and church denominations, among others.

Officials say that apart from streamlining development interventions, the forum has also helped limit concentration of partners in the same geographical areas, identify and stamp out ghost NGOs and facilitated joint planning, monitoring and evaluation.

Speaking at the function held at the provincial headquarters in Nyanza District, Munyantwari observed that the forum provides  room for leaders and development partners to discuss their interventions and ways of making them successful.

That, he said, contributes to avoiding duplication of activities, focusing on areas that really need intervention, align the interventions alongside development policies and emphasise interventions that bring real change in people’s lives.

"That has the ultimate result of better living conditions for communities, Munyantwari said.

Emmanuel Nshunguyinka, one of the participants, lauded the platform saying it "gives room for exchange of ideas and sharing of experience”.

"It allows us to discuss with others and learn best practices. It is also an occasion to evaluate our interventions and see where we are falling short of targets,” Nshunguyinka, an employee of Plan International, a child rights organisation, said.