Foresight processes critical to delivering development agenda

Foresight being a process of anticipation in the development process of any country in mid-and long-term horizon, leaders and policy makers are expected to have a forward-looking and think of adaptive policies that enable us to respond timely on the best interests of our citizens. The foresight expertise in contemporary Rwanda is in high demand. In the results-based driven policy environment, the Government manages crosscutting, complex processes of data collection, data interpretation and developing strategic options for action in nearly all thematic areas. Rwanda has undergone a remarkable transformation over the last decade, with impressive economic growth, improved public services, poverty reduction and social stability. Rwandans set an ambitious target to be attained by end 2020 and that is; “to transform our country into a middle-income nation in which Rwandans are healthier, educated and generally more prosperous. To attain this, foresight is needed. The Government of Rwanda believes that collaborating with development stakeholders, communities, businesses and academia, government agencies can become more attune to accountability and at the same time enhance efficiency and effective performance. Mastering foresight processes requires intense capacity building at the organisational, institutional and individual level. In particular, civil servants need not only acquiring necessary technical skills but also they need to undergo a cultural shift about how to utilise current data for future learning. It is, therefore, important to examine the practical value of foresight approaches, the appropriateness of different strategic foresight techniques in public planning, and how to incorporate foresight techniques at different planning and policy development stages. Mindful that strategic foresight could play a significant role to enhance our planning and policy development capacities, mastering it would help us to anticipate, adapt to and capitalise on potential risks and opportunities to expedite delivery of our EDPRS 2 targets. We should all know that as we experience new realities and changing societal dynamics, it requires us to focus at new approaches, new tools of monitoring and evaluations, which are available to policy makers and explained to the public to buy their total support. In conclusion, I want to quote President Paul Kagame, who said that; “the realisation of our vision ultimately depends on an empowered people, a knowledgeable and skilled population and a leadership that solves problems, delivers services, helps improve living standards and accords all Rwandans their dignity that they all deserve. It is this that will turn Rwanda into a modern state and enable it to play its rightful role in the global arena”. This article was extracted from remarks by the Minister of Local Government and Social Affairs, Francis Kaboneka, at the opening of the Rwanda Foresightxchange high level workshop in Kigali yesterday.

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Foresight processes critical to delivering development agenda