The World Bank yesterday approved a grant of US$50 million to support Rwanda’s efforts to improve decentralised service delivery.“While Rwanda has achieved impressive poverty reduction in the past decade, progress in improving capacities and institutions at sub-national levels will be foundational to achieving the goals established in the EDPRS II,” Carolyn Turk, World Bank Country Manager for Rwanda, said in a statement received by The New Times.“We are very glad to continue supporting Rwanda’s efforts to improve the quality of service delivery at the local government level so that Rwandan citizens can participate fully in decisions and processes that influence service delivery”.According to the statement, the support helps in clarifying institutional roles and responsibilities for decentralised service delivery and to enhance public accountability and transparency.“In addition to supporting the Government’s policies to enhance decentralised service delivery, this operation helps mitigate the short-term economic and social impacts of the aid shortfall and prevent a spillover effect to poverty reduction and MDGs in the medium/long-term, while sustaining policy dialogue on accountable governance and service delivery,” said Yoichiro Ishihara, World Bank Task Leader for this operation.“It helps in fiduciary accountability and local government capacity for improved citizen access to quality services. It targets the key medium term challenges to improving the quality of service delivery to Rwandan citizens.”In the newly approved medium-term development strategy covering 2013-18, the second Rwanda Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS II), the Government of Rwanda has committed to an overarching priority theme on strengthening accountable governance.In order to achieve its goals, the Government says it is committed to promoting greater citizen participation in policy and decision-making and enhancing the quality of decentralised public service delivery.
