MAFAP programme strengthens ties on policy collaboration in Rwanda and spotlights PolOpT at ANAPRI 2025 Conference
Mission builds momentum in Kigali with key ministries and amplifies regional awareness of PolOpT at the Africa Network of Agricultural Policy Research Institutes (ANAPRI) 2025 Stakeholders' Conference.
©FAO/Jean-Bapitiste Nkurunziza
A string of meetings to strengthen policy engagement on agrifood policy reform took place in the first week of November in Rwanda involving FAO’s Monitoring and Analysing Food and Agricultural Policies (MAFAP) programme and its Rwandan partners, coinciding with one of Africa’s leading agricultural policy forums – the Africa Network of Agricultural Policy Research Institutes (ANAPRI) Stakeholders Conference in Kigali – where the team presented the Policy Optimization Tool (PolOpT).
Strong interest from Rwanda’s MINAGRI
A ministerial breakfast, chaired by Mark Bagabe Cyubahiro, Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI), with participation from senior leadership across Rwanda’s agrifood institutions (National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB) and from Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB), offered an opportunity to discuss the possibility of supporting budgeting and planning using the FAO’s Policy Optimization Tool (PolOpT).
The talks centred around how this tool's deployment through the MAFAP programme could help Rwanda to optimize its current government spending on food and agriculture to bring bigger benefits for Rwandans, the economy and the environment for every Rwanda franc spent. Following the encounter, MINAGRI is expected to make a formal request to FAO for policy optimization support.
The Honourable Dr. Mark Cyubahiro Bagabe, Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources of Rwanda (MINAGRI) chats with Dr. Marco V. Sánchez, Deputy Director of FAO's Agrifood Economics and Policy Division and MAFAP programme Officer-in-Charge.
That same week, a technical meeting chaired by Olivier Kamana, Permanent Secretary of MINAGRI, brought together senior planning officials from multiple institutions for an in-depth presentation on, and discussion of demo results from PolOpT. Engagement during the session was strong, extending the meeting beyond the planned duration as participants explored how PolOpT could be used to improve agricultural policy and budget allocation decisions to support economic, social and environmental objectives.
Clarisse Mukaneza, policy analyst and MAFAP programme focal point in rwanda (fourth from left) and Marco V. sánchez with Olivier Kamana, Permanent Secretary of MINAGRI, alongside officials from minagri, naeb, minicom and mineconfin.
Collaboration expands to MINECOFIN
After the ministerial meeting earlier in the week, the MINAGRI minister recommended the MAFAP team meet with senior leadership and technical staff at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN), who welcomed the analytical approach behind PolOpT and its potential relevance for national budgeting and investment planning.
The MAFAP team with the Director-General of National Research (fourth from left) and advisors at MINECOFIN.
Environment engagement at REMA
At the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA), the MAFAP team met with Director General Juliet Kabera, who also serves as Rwanda’s focal point for the Global Environment Facility (GEF), to discuss opportunities for using PolOpT to help align agrifood policies with environmental and climate objectives, including the possibility of collaboration involving GEF.
The MAFAP team with Juliet Kabera, Director-General of the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA).
Data discussions at NISR
As data are an integral part of MAFAP analyses, the team also met with Jean Claude Mwizerwa, Deputy-Director General of the National Institute of Statistics Rwanda (NISR), to discuss the availability of data on Supply and Use Tables (SUTs) and recent household survey data needed to develop a Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) to calibrate PolOpT and thus apply it to Rwanda. NISR is expected to share the data by the end of December 2025.
The MAFAP team with Jean Claude Mwizerwa, Deputy-Director General of the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR).
Reinforcing ties with FAO Representation in Rwanda
Finally, the mission served as further opportunity to engage with the leadership team at the FAO Representation in Rwanda, strengthening ties on programme coordination and activities, as well as and laid the foundation for upcoming outreach to partners, including a planned presentation of PolOpT to the World Bank office in Kigali under the Agriconnect Initiative.
The MAFAP team with Mehnaz Paracha, Senior Programme and Food Systems Policy Advisor, and FAO Rwanda colleagues.
Highlighting policy innovation at the ANAPRI 2025 Conference
Coinciding with the ministerial visits, was the 2025 ANAPRI Stakeholders' Conference in Kigali, where Marco V. Sánchez, Deputy Director, Agrifood Economics and Policy Division at FAO and Officer-in-Charge of the MAFAP programme presented the Policy Optimization Tool (PolOpT) took part in a panel on Anticipating Change: Applying Systems Thinking and Foresight for Africa’s Agrifood Transformation, where he also presented the PolOpT. The presentation showcased how the tool is helping governments identify more coherent and effective food and agricultural budget allocations that jointly support economic, social, environmental and climate goals in line with a wider FAO “systems approach” and foresight perspective, a talk topic at the conference.
Marco V. Sánchez speaking on a panel at the 2025 ANAPRI Stakeholders' Conference in Kigali.
Contact
Clarisse Mukaneza MAFAP Focal Point in Rwanda and Policy Analyst [email protected]