KIGALI - A German expert, Dr. Stephan Klingebiel, yesterday appealed to development partners to give more attention to the country’s decentralization process.

Klingebiel, who is also the Director of German Development Cooperation, was speaking, yesterday, during the Decentralisation Implementation Plan (DIP)-2011-2015 validation meeting held in Kigali.

"Decentralization is key in many countries, but especially in Rwanda,” Klingebiel said. "It’s a key strategy for poverty reduction and rural development. This can be achieved if we (development partners) show full support”.

Klingebiel observed that Rwanda put a lot of effort in the decentralization exercise in the last two phases, saying the government’s commitment is remarkable.

Cyrille Turatsinze, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government, explained that the third phase of DIP will focus on consolidating the achievements realized in the first two phases.

"Priority will be how to make the government more effective, efficient and responsive to people’s needs and preferences,” said Turatsinze.

He noted that this will be achieved through legal and institutional framework, sector decentralization, service delivery and fiscal and financial decentralization.

Capacity building in local governments, local economic development and volunteerism, accountability and democratization are other pillars, he said, would be the focus during the third phase.

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