Rwanda

The Current Situation

Rwanda has made great strides in reducing hunger. From 1990 to 2015, prevalence of undernourishment fell by nearly half, from 56 percent to 32 percent—a sign of strong, yet incomplete progress.

Child undernutrition, in the form of stunting or low height for age is still high. The proportion of child under 5 years of age affected by stunting in Rwanda dropped from 45 to 38 percent between 1996 and 2015. Prevalence of child stunting is higher in rural areas (41 percent) than urban areas (24 percent), and across regions is most prevalent in the Western region (45 percent).

Compact2025 activities in Rwanda

Compact2025 is committed to partnering with Rwanda and relevant stakeholders for the acceleration of the end of hunger and undernutrition by 2025. To achieve these outcomes, Compact2025 has undertaken several strategic activities:

Compact2025 Rwanda Forum: Building Progress in Rwanda, October 2017
National Roundtable Discussion, October 2016

Overview

Since 2015 several Compact2025 initiatives have taken place in the country including a roundtable discussion in Kigali on March 24, 2016. A scoping study was developed for this roundtable to synthesize Rwanda’s current food security and nutrition challenges and opportunities. Since the roundtable discussion, Rwanda has established a coordinating secretariat under the Ministry of Local Government with the following responsibilities:

To provide strategic oversight and ensure efficient and effective coordination for all food and nutrition interventions in Rwanda
To provide policy advice in all food and nutrition related matters
To raise awareness of key stakeholders on food and nutrition and advocate for resource mobilization
To monitor and evaluate of all food and nutrition interventions

The National Roundtable Discussion held in May 2016 resulted in the creation of 5 key recommendations for the progression of Compact2025 activities and outcomes in Rwanda. These recommendations are:

Fill data and knowledge gaps
Improve coordination
Enhance successful policies and programs
Communicate and advocate for better nutritional outcomes
Strengthen capacity

Read more about these recommendations from the Rwanda Roundtable Discussion. [Meeting synopsis]

A Compact2025 forum was held in Rwanda on October 23, 2017 to follow up on the roundtable discussion of 2016. The forum reviewed opportunities for multisectoral collaboration, evidence gaps, necessary knowledge systems, and accountability mechanisms that are needed for the final result of ending hunger and malnutrition.

Leadership Council and Technical Advisory Committee Members from Rwanda

Édouard Ngirente, Prime Minister, Republic of Rwanda, Leadership Council
Octave Semwaga, Director General of Strategic Planning and Programme Coordination, Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Rwanda, Technical Advisory Committee