EDITORIAL: Achieving the next Imihigo will need more than mere pledges

When the now famous Imihigo (Performance Contracts) were first introduced in 2006, it was mainly designed for local government leaders, where they signed a contract with the Head of State. It was a means of tying them to pledges and holding them accountable in case they failed to successfully deliver on their commitments. Today, it has been extended to all sectors of the government, who set targets and are expected to deliver and judged accordingly. This year it was not different, only that new barometers have been introduced, where all clusters will be judged jointly. It is a far-reaching endeavour that includes taking into account citizens’ perceptions on whether their leaders deliver. In previous years, some districts cooked up results in order to keep up with the competition, with dire consequences to some. Some mayors were more interested in winning the very coveted best performing cup and the national accolades that accompanied it, than genuine drive to improve their communities’ welfare. Now since they will be working in tandem with other government agencies, they will shift gears and focus. This is the time to go back to work now that the bar has been set even higher. The previous government’s target of creating at least 200,000 off-farms jobs annually has now been pushed a notch higher, 314,000 jobs will be created, 70MW of electricity added to the national grid and collecting Rwf52 billion in taxes. That is a tall order that can only be achieved with selfless service to the nation.

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EDITORIAL: Achieving the next Imihigo will need more than mere pledges