More than 300 senior leaders from the central government, local government and the private sector start a three-day retreat, today, at the Rwanda Defence Forces Combat Training Centre in Gabiro, Eastern Province.

President Paul Kagame chairs the retreat, locally known as Umwiherero, that is in its twelfth edition.

The meeting will discuss national priorities, affirm the country’s shared vision to become a knowledge driven, middle-income country by 2020, and renew momentum to achieve development objectives, according to the Office of the Government Spokesperson.

"It will be an opportunity for leaders to assess their service to the people and set new plans on how to improve it,” Stella Ford Mugabo, the Minister for Cabinet Affairs, said at a media briefing yesterday.

The retreat will begin with participants taking part in Umuganda (community work) in areas around Gabiro. Umuganda, is another home grown initiative where every citizen takes part in community work. It is held on the last Saturday of every month.

After the community work, Prime Minister Anastase Murekezi will  make a presentation about how resolutions made from last year’s Leadership Retreat were implemented.

Over the course of the retreat, the leaders will focus on four areas; leaders’ accountability and the government’s approach to service delivery, infrastructural development to support planned urbanisation, leveraging public private partnership to tap the full potential of the Meetings, Incentives, Conference and Events (Mice) sector and review the performance of health systems and enhancing the quality of health service delivery.

Prof. Anastase Shyaka, the chief executive of Rwanda Governance Board, said the government would like to see the living conditions of Rwandans improved even further and engaging leaders as a team garners their efforts.

"The government wants living conditions of Rwandans to improve and that requires leaders to put in their efforts,” Prof. Shyaka said.

Through exploring infrastructure development, it is expected that leaders will tackle critical issues such as low-cost housing, access to clean water and waste management systems for urban areas.

"If there is anything that is in need, it’s low-cost housing and I am sure it will be discussed at the retreat,” Shyaka said.

As for reviewing the performance of health systems and enhancing health service delivery, it is expected that the leaders will extensively discuss about how to reinvigorate Mutuelle de Santé, a community health insurance scheme through which most Rwandans access medical care.

"By the end of the year, Mutuelle de Santé will be as well documented as Rama,” Mugabo said in reference to the better organised Rwanda Medical Insurance (Rama) that is managed by Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB).

Regarding the Mice sector, leaders will talk about the strategy that was recently developed to accelerate the growth of the sector from annual earnings of $49 million in 2013 to $150 million in 2017.

Officials said the retreat will discuss how to increase and sustain the growth of the Mice sector through improved collaboration between the public and private sector.

"We have a lot of potential but we haven’t really exploited it enough,” Mugabo said.

The government has implemented 70 per cent of the resolutions from last year’s leadership retreat, which put to rest former burning issues such as the construction of Bushenge Hospital in Western Province and expropriation to secure the land where Bugesera Airport will be constructed in the Eastern Province.

The government considers the retreat a unique governance tool that allows leaders to hold themselves accountable, reflect on the country’s progress and identify strategies to accelerate delivery of targets.