Rwanda's 2014 Governance Index Shows Significant Changes, Says Rwanda Governance Board

KIGALI, Rwanda, March 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Rwanda Governance Board, on Friday, launched the third edition of the Rwanda Governance Scorecard (RGS). Based on the findings of the scorecard, RGB is calling on the government to improve governance across a number of sectors including economic development, policy-making, service delivery and accountability.

The scorecard makes several recommendations, which can be read here: http://www.rgb.rw/governancescorecard/?page_id=7387

The 2014 scorecard shows that Rwanda has registered better performance compared to the second edition. Out of the eight indicators measured, six scored above 75% (against four in the previous scorecard).

Launching the scorecard, Professor Anastase Shyaka, CEO of the Rwanda Governance Board, commented the RGS has become a practical tool for assessing Rwanda's governance: "Through the identification of areas for improvement and actionable recommendations, the Rwanda Governance Scorecard serves as a practical tool which drives governance policy reforms in Rwanda."

Speaking at the launch, Minister of Local Government Francis Kaboneka thanked the Rwanda Governance Board for producing a scorecard that helps the government to use evidence-based assessments to drive policy reforms and invited concerned stakeholders to address the recommendations formulated in the scorecard.

For the first time, expert reviewers provided comments to ensure that the scorecard presented a comprehensive and objective view of governance in Rwanda. The three reviewers were:

- Lamin M. Manneh, One UN Rwanda Resident Coordinator

- Dr Frank Okuthe-Oyugi, Executive Director ICGLR Levy Mwanawasa Regional Centre for Democracy and Good Governance

- Jendayi E. Frazer, Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State

At Friday's event, Manneh congratulated Rwanda for the courage to measure governance and recommended the government continue to embrace criticism and the culture of continuous self-improvement.

Dr. Frank Okuthe-Oyugi said that the scorecard is a great asset to Rwanda that offers a reflection on governance as well as solutions on how to improve. He called on the entire Great Lakes Region to emulate it.

The first Rwanda Governance Scorecard was released in 2010, followed by a second in 2012. A unique and significant aspect of the scorecard is that it utilizes a wide range of new, locally generated data sources, such as citizen perception and satisfaction surveys and detailed institutional data, which are often not considered by external indexes.

Download the full 2014 Rwanda Governance Scorecard report at http://www.rgb.rw/governancescorecard/

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Robert Bimenyimana

Rwanda Governance Board

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SOURCE Rwanda Governance Board