The government, through the Finance Ministry, is meeting stakeholders to equip the evaluation system of the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS) with focus on evidence-based management for Monitoring and Evaluation officers.

The five-day meeting which is underway in Rubavu District is being facilitated by the UN. Speaking to The New Times, Leonard Rugwabiza Minega, the Director General of national development planning, said: "It’s necessary to have well-equipped managers with evaluation skills to implement the EDPRS”.

EDPRS is a medium-term development strategy established by government to fast track the achievement of development targets outlined in the Vision 2020.

Under the theme "designing and building a result based monitoring and evaluation system” supported by UN Rwanda, the training aims at strengthening the government’s evidence-based policy planning, analysis, and monitoring and evaluation.

The workshop brought together directors of planning from selected ministries and government agencies as well as Monitoring and Evaluation officers in those institutions.

Representing the UN Resident Coordinator at the opening of the training, Margaret Ng’ong’a Gulavic, reiterated her office’s support for Vision 2020 and the implementation of EDPRS.

"UN-Rwanda supports the development plan of the government to end poverty...this is why we decided to help in the area of capacity building and will continue to support the government initiatives to end poverty in many areas,” said Gulavic, who is an advisor on monitoring and evaluation.

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