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By Annonciata Byukusenge
This was among the key messages given to local leaders in Rwanda’s Southern Province, reminding them that helping residents lift themselves out of poverty and providing them with quality services without delays or unnecessary bureaucracy is part of their core responsibility.
Residents also emphasized that some remain trapped in poverty because certain local leaders fail to invest enough effort in projects aimed at poverty reduction. Others who have the potential to progress are held back by the constant need to visit sector or cell offices in search of services.
Sikubwabo Yusiya, a resident of Busasamana Sector in Nyanza District, said that poor service delivery slows down citizens’ development.
“Poor service delivery delays development because time that could be used for productive activities is wasted going back and forth to local offices. You might apply for a construction permit and spend an entire year without receiving it. During that year, you kept going to the sector office almost daily to ask whether it was ready, only to be told to wait. Eventually, you give up having wasted both your time and your opportunity,” he said.
He added that this problem must be addressed because citizens’ development is essential.
The issue of delays and poor service delivery as a hindrance to development was echoed by Mukamabano Genevieve from Kavumu Cell.
“I think the fact that there are too few staff to serve a large population is also a challenge. At the cell level, there are usually only two workers: the Executive Secretary (Gitifu) and the Social and Economic Development Officer (SEDO). The Executive Secretary is often away from the office, and the SEDO cannot serve all residents alone, especially since some issues require the Executive Secretary’s attention. We ask that more staff be assigned so we can access services and focus on activities that improve our lives,” she said.
It is not only citizens who point to bureaucracy and poor service as obstacles to development; some local leaders also acknowledge that more effort is needed to accelerate citizens’ progress.
Andre Ntiziryayo, Executive Secretary of Mushubi Sector in Nyamagabe District, told Forefront Magazine, “In Nyamagabe, we have reduced poverty by 16%, but we have not yet reached our target. Even though we are making progress, we need to intensify our efforts so that the number of residents living in poverty keeps declining until we completely eradicate it.”
This concern, also raised by residents, was addressed by the Minister of Local Government, Dominique Habimana, during a meeting with various local leaders in the Southern Province.
“We are responsible for the well-being and development of our citizens, which is why we must stay close to them. We are required to address citizens’ problems promptly and to provide them with quality services,” said Minister Habimana.
He urged leaders in the province to play an active role in supporting citizens on their journey to development, stressing that the country does not want to see its people living in poverty.
Southern Province Launches Initiatives to Fight Poverty
According to the seventh Integrated Household Living Conditions Survey (EICV7) conducted in 2023-2024 by NISR, the poverty rate has decreased from 39.8% in 2017 to 27.4% in 2024, representing a reduction of 12.4%.
This is while the extreme poverty rate has decreased from 11.3% in 2017 to 5.4% in 2024, with a total of 1.5 million Rwandans being lifted out of poverty in the past 7 years.
Challenges and Way Forward
In eradicating poverty, there are challenges, but South Province has settled the way forward.
Beyond residents’ complaints about poor service delivery, the Southern Province has also put in place programs and projects that will help citizens rise out of poverty over the next five years as part of the national government’s development agenda.
The Southern Province has a poverty rate of 34.2%, which is expected to decrease due to large investment projects in the 2025-2026 budget.
