Gatsibo District Development Partners under Joint Action Development Forum (JADF) have agreed on terms to better engage Non-Government Organisations working in the district in order to avoid duplication of services.

In a meeting on Tuesday at the district, JADF members resolved that the district administration will evaluate development projects next month in a bid to ensure their effective implementation.

The proposal is part of efforts to improve its performance record.

District leaders argue that once properly done, it is one of the measures that would better incorporate the development partners’ interventions into the district’s action plan.

Andrew Nyarwaya, the district immigration and emigration officer, who is in charge of registering NGOs operating in the district said, "You could find a development partner with a big budget but no break down for easy evaluation or two partners doing the same thing while there is something else that could be done to help our people.”

He added that in a meeting last year all the NGOs in the district set performance targets with the district mayor.

He said next month’s evaluation will cover activities of the last six months.

"We have been monitoring their activities since they committed, but we also need to do an evaluation in March so that we can see whether they are on track. We found that an evaluation every six months will help both of us,” he said.

The newly elected head of Gatsibo JADF, Jovia Uwamahoro said the assessment of their activities will foster accountability and cooperation with the district.

"These measures will bring to light our activities as development partners more than it has always been,” she said.

Gatsibo District is one of the districts with low clean water coverage.

Nyarwaya however stressed that it’s through such measures that they will find ways of improving district performance.

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