The Advancing Citizen Engagement Project (ACE) Steering Committee meeting took place on February 7th, 2023 to oversee the ACE Quarterly Progress report and planned activities for the next quarter.  This hybrid event was co-chaired by the Director-General of Local Administrative Entities Development Agency (LODA) and the Director General for Local Government Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation in the Ministry of Local Government (MINALOC), and involved high-level representatives from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN), Spark Microgrants and target Districts of Burera, Gakenke, Gicumbi, and Huye.  

Participants in the meeting reviewed the progress report and praised the enormous achievements made so far in the seven sectors, particularly when it comes to enabling sustainable livelihoods through impactful projects chosen by the villagers themselves.  They also discussed key project concerns, focusing on scope, budget, timeline, and other relevant topics that are likely to improve the project's implementation.

Mrs. Nyinawagaga Claudine, Director General of LODA and Co-Chair of the meeting, urged target districts to play a significant role in ensuring the smooth implementation of the project as well as working with communities and relevant stakeholders to ensure the project's sustainability. “There is a need, for example, to collaborate with insurance companies to address existing challenges in livestock insurance, as well as to involve various partners to ensure the vaccination of all animals in order to prevent possible diseases", Nyinawagaga told participants.

Participants discussed the project aspects at the policy and strategic levels, such as project actor training, microgrant distribution, the procurement process, and specific changes and impacts brought about by the project in terms of social cohesion, gender promotion, and environmental protection.

The Executive Secretaries representing the districts of Huye, Gicumbi, Burera, and Gakenke emphasized that the Facilitated Collective Action Process resulted in improved village planning and engagement in various local government programs, as well as improved understanding of and access to government social protection programs. "The project had a significant village impact, generating substantial financial capacities for villagers and creating a positive societal impact among villagers", the Executive Secretaries stated during the meeting, pledging to assist villages in increasing the success of a steadily scaling Community-driven development program in their respective districts.

The Advancing Citizen Engagement (ACE) project, signed in June 2021 by Spark Microgrants, the World Bank, and Comic Relief, is meant to play an important role in strengthening civic engagement in local development planning and implementation, as well as improving rural livelihoods in 249 villages across four districts in Rwanda. The project aims to improve the livelihoods of 17,750 households (76,000 people) as well as build the capacity of communities, national and local governments, and civil society in 249 villages.