Officials at the Ministry of Local Government (MINALOC) yesterday urged members of the civil society to increase their cooperation with government and ensure better services to the people.

During a one-day training that attracted more than a hundred members of the civil society platform, representatives of the private sector and public servants in local government.

MINALOC called upon members of Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to form strong forums that will hold leaders accountable. The workshop was held in Remera, Kigali City.

"We need them [people in the private sector] to form a joint action development forum at local levels in order to pool resources and ideas as they also urge other people on accountability to develop our country,” the Minister of local Government, Protais Musoni said.

He revealed that there are over 40,000 independent entities countrywide and he noted that cooperatives are ‘doing very well’ on the grass root level.

MINALOC officials have also noted that the Private Sector should take the initiative of stepping up efforts to hold local government leaders accountable so the country could achieve development and democracy.

"The private sector is yet to understand its role in governance. They are still confined in looking for their quick financial interests while they also need to engage in making the government responsible,” said Joseph Rurangwa who is in charge of good governance at the ministry.

Rurangwa told participants at the seminar that the civil society platform has a challenge of being the ‘people’s eye’. He said that the the platform’s roles include promoting human rights, education, development initiatives, and doing advocacy for any other needed activities.

"Members of the civil society have a place worldwide,” he told the keen participants.

Members of the private sector requested government to continue considering its people when it comes up with development plans whose end results affect them.

"They [leaders] need to abide by people’s ideas,” said Donatha Mukanyarwaya, one of the participants during the training.

Rwanda’s decentralization policy which was adopted in 2000 encourages the strengthening of the participation of non-governmental actors in the country’s governance to speed up development.

A joint project between government and the civil society platform in Rwanda to spearhead civil society decentralisation has since been put in place.

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