Kigali – From 9^th to 10^th October 2024 at Serena Hotel Kigali there was launched a social protection conference gathering all stakeholders in the Social Protection Sector, including the Central Government, Local Government, Development Partners and Civil Society Organizations to facilitate the exchange of knowledge, experiences and achievements to improve synergy, coordination and implementation while promoting a shared vision towards implementation of the second generation of the National Strategy for Transformation (NST2) and the Social Protection Sector Strategic Plan (2024/2029). Under the leitmotiv named “Transforming life for Every Rwandan”, this conference was organized by the Ministry of Local Government (MINALOC) in collaboration with the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO-RWANDA) and Local Administrative Entities Development Agency (LODA).

While officiating this noble event, the State Minister for Local Government, Hon. KAYISIRE Marie Solange, stated that “We are embarking on implementing the second phase of the National Strategy for Transformation and the second generation of the Social Protection Sector Strategic Plan (2024-2029). Our focus today is on addressing vulnerabilities to various risks and strengthening social protection systems to provide adequate benefits while expanding coverage for poor and vulnerable people”, she said. “The new Social Protection strategy sets the foundation for a social protection framework that is more inclusive, adequate, and adaptable. Our main goals are to help people move out of poverty by creating opportunities for earning income, to support those in poverty by ensuring access to essential services and income support and to prevent poverty by providing income security and insurance mechanisms to protect individuals and families from shocks. In this conference, let us focus on how to mitigate shocks, address malnutrition, and ensuring universal social security”, she emphasized.

While addressing participants, the British High Commissioner to Rwanda, Alison Thorpe recalled that: “The UK has supported the national social protection programme, the VUP, since its inception in 2008. The UK is honoured to have been a longstanding partner in supporting Rwanda's social protection sector through grant assistance”. She reiterated the UK’s commitment in supporting to build a poverty free Rwanda. “We are now in our third phase of support in the form of grants, to VUP, and it is the UK’s flagship programme in Rwanda. We highly value the partnership with MINALOC, LODA and districts to deliver and strengthen social protection in Rwanda. It has been a privilege to work alongside such a dynamic and adaptive Government with such high levels of ambition in this sector”, she said.

Through her presentation on “Rwanda’s Social Protection Journey: Evolution, achievement, lesson learnt and future perspective”, Mrs NYINAWAGAGA Claudine, Director General of LODA, hinted upon the Graduation Strategy and highlighted key interventions which should be embraced and jointly focused on by all social protection actors so as to sustainably relieve households from poverty. These include (i) Mindset change for self-reliance; (ii) Cash transfer for basic needs; (iii) Livelihood promotion (Skills development, asset transfer); (iv) Financial inclusion (financial literacy, savings, access to micro loans & investment), and (v) Complementary services (Para-social workers, health, education, nutrition and WASH).

A similar conference was last held in February 2019 with focus on how to attain the goals of NST1 & SDGs in terms of social protection, and the 2024 one is now offering an opportunity to make a flashback to achievements, lessons learned, challenges and to embark on a more harmonized and inclusive approach towards the attainment of NST2 goals in a bid to support citizens to exit from poverty.