Policy Dialogue

Report of the proceedings
The event opened almost exactly on time (0905 hrs) with introductions of the 75-100 participants assembled in the Lemigo Hotel Plenary Hall. Introductions are customary. A good mix of researchers from the EPRN membership (especially faculty and students) were present, alongside representatives of government ministries and agencies, civil society/non-government organizations, donors/development partners and their implementing partners, and journalists. This report (...)

1. Introduction
Article 4 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child obligates state governments to invest appropriate resources to safeguard the child rights “to the maximum extent of their available resources”. Safeguarding these rights requires states to engage in budgeting processes that allocate necessary resources to provide access to social services for all children, so they can reach their full potential. In June 2016, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child made general (...)

1. Background
Through the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, governments have pledged to eradicate poverty (SDG 1) and to promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all reduce inequalities within and among countries (SDG 8). Despite an increasing body of knowledge on these topics, development partners, researchers and policymakers struggle to identify and prioritize strategies and policies that are truly effective (...)

1. Background
African countries’ ability to finance a greater share of their development needs from domestic sources “would give them much-needed flexibility in the formulation and implementation of policies” to address development challenges, direct resources into high-priority areas and “strengthen state capacity,” finds a 2007 UNCTAD report, Economic Development in Africa : Reclaiming Policy Space, Domestic Resource Mobilization.
The Report also indicates that there are many reasons for (...)

1. Background
The African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) is an agreement between 44 African Union member states. The AfCFTA was signed in Kigali, Rwanda on 21 March 2018. The AfCFTA is a tool for driving African industrialization, economic diversification and development. It will help to promote the type of trade that produces sustainable growth, creates jobs for young people in Africa and establishes opportunities for nurturing businesses and entrepreneurs on the continent. (...)

HIGH LEVEL POLICY DIALOGUE
“Towards the 3rd Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy/Citizen Participation an Inclusive Plans”
FOREWORD
Involving citizens in planning and implementation of government programs is crucial for any government to deliver inclusive growth. Giving citizens the opportunity to decide what should be done for them saves a lot of resources when governments are planning for the future of their countries. At the same time, going back to the citizens to (...)

1. Introductory background
Poverty reduction efforts around the world have scored good success, Rwanda being one of the most successful examples. However, the road to ending poverty in all its forms by 2030 requires further and more focused efforts. Poverty reduction cannot be seen in isolation when it is proven that rapid economic growth does not by itself reduce inequalities and in some cases, it worsens them Using Rwanda as a case. Also it is possible to have a dialogue on income and (...)

1. Background Across Sub-Saharan Africa debt levels are going up rapidly. This is for different reasons. In some cases, some big oil exporters are avoiding taking measures to avoid a crisis and are taking more debt. That is a bad debt to be accruing. There are other countries, some of them in East Africa that are taking debt for infrastructure but this can be in some cases not sustainable.
The international Monetary Fund (IMF) has noted Rwanda’s prudent management of its debt while it (...)

1. Introduction
The Economic Policy Research Network (EPRN) is a platform in Rwanda aiming at strengthening the capacities of individual economic policy researchers and organizations active in or with an interest in economic policy research and analysis. The objective is to create a network and support economic policy researchers through trainings on qualitative and quantitative research, coaching and mentorship as well as joint research projects. EPRN therefore responds to economic policy (...)