Rwanda made slight improvements in public access to budget information, according to the latest international budget transparency assessment.

According to the International Budget Partnership’s Open Budget Survey for 2023, Rwanda’s transparency score increased from 45 in 2021 to 50 in 2023.

This was announced on Wednesday, May 29, during a hearing hosted by Transparency International Rwanda and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN). The survey is the world’s only comparative, independent and regular assessment of transparency, oversight and public participation in national budgets.

Conducted every two years, the survey evaluates three pillars which are budget transparency, public participation, and oversight. This ninth edition covered 125 countries. In this round, the global average scores were 45 per cent for transparency, 15 per cent for public participation, 45 per cent for legislative oversight, and 62 per cent for audit oversight.

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"Comparing this to past editions, it means that the country made an improvement in ensuring that citizens have greater access to the information they need to hold the government accountable,” said Enock Byiringiro, a senior researcher at Transparency International Rwanda, who presented the findings.

On the other hand, regarding the budget oversight indicator, Rwanda scored 56, with audit oversight at 78 and legislative oversight at 44. However, with 16, Rwanda’s score remains low for the Public Participation Indicator.

The survey also indicates that Rwanda’s transparency improvements stand against a background of modest gains globally. In the Sub-Saharan region, Rwanda ranks 9th whereas South Africa and Benin rank 1st and 2nd, respectively, with scores 83 and 79, respectively.

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In east Africa, Rwanda ranks 3rd, where Uganda and Kenya rank 1st and 2nd and scored 59 and 55, respectively.

The global average in budget transparency increased by one point and public participation increased by two points. However, despite these gains, there has been a worrying drop in public availability of citizen budgets.

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Apollinaire Mupiganyi, the Executive Director of Transparency International Rwanda, stated, "We commend the efforts made by the government of Rwanda to enhance accountability in the use of public resources.

"However, as reflected in the survey findings, there is still a need to increase opportunities for public participation in the budget cycle and public policies.”

He also emphasised the importance of proper documentation, noting that many valuable initiatives are not being recorded. He cited an example where Transparency International Rwanda, in partnership with the World Bank, worked with farmers in the agricultural sector to gather their input for the national budget.

"Unfortunately, these contributions were not documented, highlighting a gap that needs to be addressed to ensure all voices are heard and considered in the budgeting process,” he added.

Recommendations

Additionally, the survey includes recommendations for Rwanda to enhance budget transparency.

The ministry of finance should take actions such as posting the year-end report promptly and strengthening public participation by partnering with the Ministry of Local Government to engage civil society organizations and any interested members of the public.

Donnah Mbabazi, a budget policy formulation and reforms specialist at the ministry of finance, emphasised that the collaborative efforts with IBP and Transparency International Rwanda will lead to performance improvements.

"Although the public participates and shares ideas in some budget hearings held by community councils, these councils often fail to post and interact with the public about these discussions online. Addressing this gap is crucial for us to achieve higher scores," she stated.

Additionally, Mbabazi elaborated on the timeline of posting the budget ,saying, "In the survey, they mentioned that we posted late, but we adhere to our Public Financial Management (PFM) law. The mismatch occurs because international standards have different timelines and calendars, which sometimes do not align with our fiscal year, resulting in lower scores."

She explained that when planning for the next budget, the ministry will review and consider the recommendations to identify shortcomings, determine necessary improvements, and decide who should be involved.

"For instance, we recognised a gap with MINALOC [ministry of local government], so we will ensure their involvement in the next fiscal year."