Rwanda Association of Local Government Authorities (RALGA) has unveiled an electronic tool that will help districts and the City of Kigali to consistently monitor and report on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a localised context.

The SDGs online monitoring and reporting tool was one milestone of the second phase of the SDGs Localisation in Rwanda Project, implemented by RALGA from 2020 to June 2022, with financial support from the Commonwealth Local Government Forum, under the European Union supported "Strengthening Local Government’s Role as a Partner in Development” project.

This project, which downscaled SDGs at District level was in the wide national context of domesticating and localizing SDGs at all levels of national structure, to ensure their ownership, integration, efficient and effective implementation. In this framework, the SDGs were accordingly integrated into Rwanda’s Vision 2050, the National Strategy for Transformation (NST1) as well as all Sectors’ Strategic Plans. Accordingly, Districts included them in their District Development Strategies.

Between 2016 and 2018, RALGA implemented the pilot phase of the "Localizing the SDGs in Rwanda” Project with financial support from the Commonwealth Local Government Forum, through SGA I - the European Union supported "Strengthening Local Government’s Role as a Partner in Development” project.

According to Ngendahimana Ladislas, the Secretary General of RALGA, the project was aimed at enhancing the process of monitoring, evaluating and reporting on the localization of the SDGs achievements in all Districts in Rwanda, to strengthen the local government’s role as a partner in development.

"Through the decentralized framework, Districts and the City of Kigali are at the centre of implementation of government programs. The Districts plans are aligned with national strategic plans such as NST1 and Vision 2050, which are also aligned with the SDGs and other global frameworks. It is therefore necessary for districts to be able to produce their individual reports on how they are performing on SDGs indicators embedded in their strategic and action plans, because the existing reporting system could only provide a national status which either doesn’t give disaggregated data at district level or gives it in manual excel sheets,” explained Ngendahimana.

The project further intended to strengthen the capacity of local governments to efficiently monitor and evaluate the implementation of SDGs localized in their DDSs, and hence enhance the process to report on the SDGs at national and global levels.

The project was initiated in three pilot districts, namely Bugesera, Gicumbi and Ruhango. Key results of the project included (a) better understanding of the SDGs as well as the importance of their localization, (b) the development of SDGs sensitive District Development Strategies (DDSs) and (c) the rollout development of factsheets showing the SDGs mainstreamed in the DDSs.

During the process to localize the SDGs, Rwanda Association of Local Government Authorities (RALGA), within its mandate to build the capacity of, and advocate for its members, contributed in the elaboration of SDGs sensitive District Development Strategies (DDSs).

The contribution was in the form of a CLGF funded project, which aimed at sensitizing RALGA members on the importance of the SDGs and their localization.

Throughout the second phase of the project, all the 30 districts were assisted to develop factsheets highlighting SDGs captured in their DDSs. An electronic tool to monitor the SDGs implementation basing on the developed factsheets was developed and operationalized to contribute to improving the SDGs reporting process at district, country and global levels as district reports inform the national SDGs report, which in turn informs the Voluntary National Review report.

The elaboration of an electronic tool to report on SDGs, is expected to improve the quality of reports on the SDGs implementation both at district and national levels.

"However much the work done may be, if not reported, there is no proof that it has been done at all, and there is no indicator to measure achievements against targets. Districts need to report on their achievements as a matter of transparency and accountability,” said Ngendahimana.

"With this electronic tool, data will be kept and assessed in a special way to formulate a report that will indicate where more effort should be put, or give line to the way of doing things,” Ngendahimana emphasized. 

The Secretary General of RALGA also thanked the partners in this project including the Commonwealth Local Government Forum- CLGF- and the European Union for their cooperation and funding for the successful implementation of the SDGs Localisation in Rwanda project.

Beneficiaries are appreciative

As part of capacity building under the SDGs localisation project framework, a training was offered to district’s users including staff in charge of planning, monitoring and evaluation for them to have advanced knowledge on SDGs and be able to use the developed SDGs reporting electronic tool.

Beneficiaries of the SDGs Localisation project appreciate its achievements in terms of awareness, capacity building and particularly, the development of the electronic reporting tool that will help them to consistently track how their respective districts are performing against SDGs targets in a localised context.

"SDGs have many indicators, using this system will make it even easier and faster. It is also a more reliable way to store data. The existing method of keeping information was to use papers, which may be lost. Even the soft copies were prone to viruses,” Marceline Usaniwabo, the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer for Nyamagabe district said.

She added that keeping information in the system will also improve accessibility, since they can also use their phones to access reports.

She shares the thought with Jean Rene Uwumukiza, who holds the same position in Nyaruguru district. He said that since the SDGs are already in line with their everyday activities, it will be so much easier to track them in a single system, rather than differently like they used to.

Ladislas Ngendahimana, the Secretary General of RALGA during the interview. / Courtesy