Districts in Rwanda’s Southern Province have been urged to learn from Nyamagabe’s GiraWigire programme, which has helped residents overcome poverty through coordinated action by local authorities, communities and development partners.
The call was made on Thursday by Southern Province Governor Alice Kayitesi during a learning visit in Nyamagabe District attended by officials from several districts across the province.
Nyamagabe was selected as a model for its GiraWigire initiative, which has recorded progress in supporting vulnerable households to improve their livelihoods through targeted interventions and partnerships.
Nyamagabe District Mayor Hildebrand Niyomwungeri attributed the programme’s achievements to collective ownership, saying local leaders and staff have integrated poverty reduction efforts into their daily responsibilities.
He said district departments are required to allocate at least 30 percent of their operational budgets to activities supporting GiraWigire beneficiaries, while partners also contribute by identifying and supporting residents working to improve their living conditions.
Nyamagabe invested more than Rwf4 billion in the programme during the 2025/26 financial year and plans to increase funding to more than Rwf6 billion in 2026/27 to support over 12,000 beneficiaries.
Kayitesi praised the district’s approach, saying its experience demonstrates that poverty reduction initiatives deliver better results when they are treated as a shared responsibility.
“Nyamagabe GiraWigire has shown that when a poverty reduction programme is properly implemented and embraced by everyone, it can deliver visible results. We encourage other districts to learn from this model so that it can provide sustainable solutions across the Southern Province,” she said.
Officials attending the visit also toured projects established by GiraWigire beneficiaries and discussed lessons that could support the expansion of similar initiatives in other districts.
