Evaluation of Rwanda’s youth and employment policies

Public policy observatory repor

Work In Progress: The Role Of Higher Education In Post-Conflict Tourism Development, A Case Study From Rwanda

Tourism and hospitality have been recognized as a major economic factor worldwide and competition between destinations for present and future tourist has only become fiercer. Within such established markets as the East African safari & beach market it will not be easy for new destinations to discern themselves and offer a complimentary or new product. Especially in the case of Rwanda, that was plagued by a violent recent history and still suffers from an unclear image, this objective might not be easy to realize. However with the support from international partners and the dedication and ambitions of the national government in collaboration with local stakeholders, Rwanda is moving forward. Although this case study is related to an African example there might be suggestions and lessons learned that could inspire other destinations to proceed along a similar track.El turismo y la hospitalidad han sido reconocidos como un factor económico importante en todo el mundo, y la competencia entre los destinos por el turista actual y futuro sólo ha vuelto más feroz. Dentro de estos mercados establecidos, como es el caso de los mercados de safari y playa de Africa del Este, no será fácil para los nuevos destinos diferenciarse y ofrecer un producto complementario o nuevo. Especialmente en el caso de Ruanda, plagado por una historia reciente de violencia y cuya imagen todavía se ve afectada, este objetivo no puede ser fácil de realizar. Sin embargo, con el apoyo de socios internacionales y la dedicación y ambiciones del gobierno nacional, en colaboración con los actores locales, Ruanda está avanzando. Aunque este caso de estudio se refiere a un ejemplo de África puede haber sugerencias y lecciones aprendidas que podrían inspirar a otros destinos a continuar por un camino similar

The Trajectory of Public Administration in Rwanda: An Appraisal

This paper reviews the course of public administration in Rwanda. The Government of Rwanda has embarked on an impressive array of public sector reforms. Reforms have been undertaken to increase the accountability, transparency and level of participation in government. Keywords: Rwanda, Public administration, reform

The Contribution of Integrated Polytechnic Regional College (IPRC) Musanze in Creating Valuable Uses to Tomato Crop Farm-Leftovers

The study was carried out to identify potential value addition to tomato crop farm-leftovers and investigate their existing end-uses to suggest a collaboration model between tomato farmers in Nkotsi Sector and IPRC Musanze. The findings confirmed that the tomato crop stems are the main type of tomato crop farm-leftovers found on the farm, leaves and roots are also present in minor quantities. Those farm-leftovers are mainly used for compost making, some remain unused at farm level, and few are used for feeding animals. For whatever destination, the tomato crop farm-leftovers do not generate any cash to farmers, and unfortunately, 91% of farmers are not aware of crop farm-leftovers negative effects. All respondents know the IPRC Musanze, and 59% of them recognize its community outreach activities. However, 97% of farmers do not have any previous collaboration with the college even though they show willingness for future collaboration. 62% of interviewed IPRC Musanze TVET trainers revealed limited advanced tomatoes farming activities in the area, and crop farm-leftovers negative effects. A collaboration model between farmers and the college is designed as a new way of working to boost tomato farming in the area as well as improving the quality of TVET training offered by the college. The stable relations, trust, shared problem, resources, planned joint activities and their execution are the elements of the proposed model. Therefore, technical training, joint applied research and innovation activities, joint problem-solving initiatives were suggested as the starting point for the proposed model. Keywords: Tomato crop, farm-leftover, TVET, collaboration DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-3-01 Publication date: January 31st 202

Innovative approaches to creating opportunities and incorporating young youth into Rwanda’s labor markets

The government of Rwanda is aware of the unemployment situation in the country. It is for this reason that Rwanda National Employment Policy (NEP) was adopted in 2007. The priority areas for the policy include; the rural sector, the private sector and entrepreneurship support; youth and women employment promotion; specific employment programs for disabled people; human resource development and employability; strengthening labor intensive approaches in economic and social infrastructure programs and others. Since the issue of youth unemployment is on a rise, The GoR also initiated the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS 2), 2013-2018 whose priority is to Stimulate Entrepreneurship, improve access to Finance and Business Development by increasing off-farm employment, productivity and new job creation driven by the private sector. Therefore the rationale of this analysis report is to identify and analyze the innovative approaches that will create employment opportunities and thus incorporate the youth into labor markets in Rwanda.International Development Research Centre: IDR

Teacher motivation and incentives in Rwanda: analysis of stakeholders' perceptions of the changes in teachers' motivation during 2008-13

This thesis explored the impact of the teacher incentive policies which were designed and implemented in Rwanda between 2008 and 2013, with the aim to understand their impact on teacher motivation. Research evidence shows that, competence and commitment of teachers are among the main determinants of student learning outcomes (Bennell and Akyeampong, 2007). As such, governments have the responsibility to ensure that teachers are appropriately trained and motivated to teach. Yet, motivational and incentives issues among teachers have been inadequately researched in the African context to understand how teacher motivational issues might be addressed by governments and international donors to improve educational quality. Rather, as reported by the Voluntary Services Oversees (VSO) and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), educational policies have focused much more on teacher supply and demand issues in response to increased access to education (VSO, 2002; UNESCO, 2005). In countries where teacher motivation issues have been on the education agenda, these have been piecemeal interventions lacking long-term sustainability. As such, UNESCO’s 2013/14 Education For All-Global Monitoring Report (EFA-GMR) recommends the need for policy-makers to identify ways how teachers’ motivation can be improved so as to enable teachers to work in the service of improving learning for all (UNESCO, 2014). This study employed a mixed methods sequential explanatory research design, where quantitative data (from 276 teachers from 46 schools located in 10 districts) was collected first, followed by qualitative data (obtained from interviews with eighteen participants, selected from institutions involved in teacher incentives’ policy making, implementation, facilitation and the beneficiary level). This data was then integrated at the intermediate and final stages of the study and presented concurrently in this thesis. The study was framed around the content (or basic needs) theory of motivation (see Chapter 3). Findings indicate that, individual teacher characteristics are key in understanding how the incentives impact on teachers’ levels of motivation. As such, the Government of Rwanda (GoR), should take into consideration these characteristics, when designing the teacher incentive policies for the teaching profession. The study confirms earlier findings that, teachers’ pay is very low, both in absolute terms and in comparison to other professions, which is a major motivational challenge. The study further shows that, while most teacher incentives may achieve the purpose for which they are meant, others are likely to result into unintended implications, which should be factored and monitored while designing and implementing the teacher incentives (see Chapter 6, section 6.2.2). Furthermore, the study shows the “8-step monthly protocol on processing the teachers’ salaries”, as an example of incentives that are cost-effective and are likely to create an immediate positive motivation impact, and which can be ideal for resource-constrained contexts, such as Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries, including Rwanda. The study notes the key potential role of parental contributions to teachers’ pay (top-up), and that governments need to harmonise and regulate it, so as to eliminate the imbalance it causes, between primary and secondary teachers; and rural and urban schools. Most teachers responded that teacher training and professional development was the main intrinsic motivational factor. The study noted that, while the teacher’s union was viewed as potentially key in enhancing teachers’ status, solidarity and power, the teachers’ union was very weak and influenced by government, which is characteristic of most unions in the SSA. This is coupled with limited teachers’ participation in decision-making on issues that concern them (see DeJaeghere et al, 2006), which is likely to lead to their de-motivation. This study, therefore, has attempted to make a contribution to the development of the theoretical and substantive knowledge in terms of policy changes designed to improve teacher motivation in Rwanda (and possibly in the SSA region). It also contributes to a clarification of the methodology, which can be employed for future research on teacher motivation

Itegeko Rirusha Ibuye Kuremera: A Critical Analysis of the Challenges the Public/Private Divide Poses to Rwandan Labour Law Through The Figure of the Domestic Worker

On the global stage, Rwanda is broadly known for two phenomena: The 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and the outstanding efforts taken towards gender equality, more specifically, the representation of women in parliament. This symbolic representation has not been reflected in the day-to-day lives of many women in Rwanda who work in positions of informal employment with limited legal and social protection. By nature, domestic work takes place in the privacy of the home, rendering it challenging to regulate and monitor through legislation and public policy. Characterized by low pay, long hours, and poor working conditions, domestic work continues to hamper Rwanda’s efforts to achieve gender equality. This study aims to describe and analyze the ways in which the public/private divide emphasizes the challenges faced by female domestic workers in Kigali. By employing a qualitative descriptive study design, I have looked at national policy documents and conducted interviews to understand how the law is created and implemented for domestic workers. Information derived from published policy documents and information obtained through interviews were triangulated. By drawing on the critical perspective of African Feminism, this paper argues that the public/private divide is not a neutral concept but rather reinforces existing power dynamics and social hierarchies of gender and class if not adequately considered when creating and enforcing legislation. Thus, this paper contributes significantly to understanding the challenges and opportunities of addressing the public/private divide in the context of domestic work in Kigali, Rwanda. It offers critical insights for scholars, policymakers, and practitioners working towards the realization of human rights for all

Population-Level Interventions Targeting Risk Factors for Hypertension and Diabetes in Rwanda: A Situational Analysis

BACKGROUND: Eighty percent (80%) of global Non-Communicable Diseases attributed deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) with hypertension and diabetes being key contributors. The overall prevalence of hypertension was 15.3% the national prevalence of diabetes in rural and urban was 7.5 and 9.7%, respectively among 15–64 years. Hypertension represents a leading cause of death (43%) among hospitalized patients at the University teaching hospital of Kigali. This study aimed to identify ongoing population-level interventions targeting risk factors for diabetes and hypertension and to explore perceived barriers and facilitators for their implementation in Rwanda. METHODS: This situational analysis comprised a desk review, key informant interviews, and stakeholders' consultation. Ongoing population-level interventions were identified through searches of government websites, complemented by one-on-one consultations with 60 individuals nominated by their respective organizations involved with prevention efforts. Semi-structured interviews with purposively selected key informants sought to identify perceived barriers and facilitators for the implementation of population-level interventions. A consultative workshop with stakeholders was organized to validate and consolidate the findings. RESULTS: We identified a range of policies in the areas of food and nutrition, physical activity promotion, and tobacco control. Supporting program and environment interventions were mainly awareness campaigns to improve knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward healthy eating, physical activity, and alcohol and tobacco use reduction, healthy food production, physical activity infrastructure, smoke-free areas, limits on tobacco production and bans on non-standardized alcohol production. Perceived barriers included limited stakeholder involvement, misbeliefs about ongoing interventions, insufficient funding, inconsistency in intervention implementation, weak policy enforcement, and conflicts between commercial and public health interests. Perceived facilitators were strengthened multi-sectoral collaboration and involvement in ongoing interventions, enhanced community awareness of ongoing interventions, special attention paid to the elderly, and increased funds for population-level interventions and policy enforcement. CONCLUSION: There are many ongoing population-level interventions in Rwanda targeting risk factors for diabetes and hypertension. Identified gaps, perceived barriers, and facilitators provide a useful starting point for strengthening efforts to address the significant burden of disease attributable to diabetes and hypertension

The political economy of import substitution in the 21st century: the challenge of recapturing the domestic market in Rwanda

Import substitution has been marginalised from development policy discourse since the 1970s. This paper examines the Rwandan government’s recent attempt at reintroducing industrial policy with some attention devoted to ‘recapturing the domestic market’ – a term used to replace the ignominy associated with ‘import substitution.’ The paper examines two cases – cement and textiles – where such policies have been recently established in Rwanda. The paper argues that any attempt at recapturing the domestic market will require a strategy close to the policies of East Asian developmental states in terms of ‘picking winners.’ However, strategically maintaining reciprocity through statebusiness relationships is only part of the challenge. Though foreign investors have been leant on initially, actions must be put in place to develop local capitalist partners who may step in if foreign investors leave once incentives are reduced. This is further complicated by the government’s failure to develop partnerships with existing local capitalist partners. The Rwandan government is also constrained by a small market size. Any attempt at import substitution must occur in the context of accessing larger markets through the East African Community (EAC). This paper demonstrates that such regional trade agreements constitute a much greater constraint on the use of industrial policy than multilateral trade agreements or bilateral trade agreements with the United States of America or European countries (although pressure from donors may also contribute to reducing policy space). Such challenges showcase how the Rwandan government has sought to build reciprocal control mechanisms while attempting to access large markets through regional integration. Though the Rwandan government has made some progress recently, state intervention is required to reintroduce import substitution in the 21st century and must be balanced by the need to meet domestic and international political constraints