Transparency International Rwanda in collaboration with PTF (Partnership Transparency Fund Europe) has launched APESA (Alliance and Partnership for Evidence Led Environment and Social Safeguarding Accountability) project, which aims at amplifying citizen’s voices for accountable and sustainable development.
This project will be covering 13 districts and it will be focusing on roads, transport, energy, water, communication, education health and markets.
While launching the project the Executive Director of Transparency International Rwanda Mupiganyi Appolinaire emphasized on the role APESA project is going to play in solving citizen’s problems which rises from weak accountability.
“This project is aimed at giving a voice to the citizens on the infrastructures provided to them for instance ,roads,electricity,water,schools,hospitals which are built with the purpose of helping them but instead of helping them ,those who are near those infrastructures become vulnerable ,the example I can give is like that when the road is built and nearby residents are left in danger of losing their houses due to the disaster ,this project will give the voice to the citizens so that they can raise their voices when they encounter bad services regarding infrastructure provided to them .“He stated.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice Theophile Mbonera also shared how this project is going to help in implementing the law regarding infrastructure.
“As the ministry of Justice which has the role ensuring that there is justice in the country, this project has the role of keeping in action the measure regarding law to protect the lives of citizens ,it has the target of sensitizing people in charge of it like government institutions ,to prevent bad implemented actions which can ruin the well being of citizens ,mainly those bad acts are under law ,and they can be done because the law has been neglected so that citizens and environment can be protected which cause different effects on people lives ,this project has the target of raising awareness on how people can behave while they are implementing projects which can have impact on people’s lives .” He mentioned.
He added that this project will support existing strategies to protect environment and citizen’s well being, which can be due do doing project without considering those main parts. He called upon government institutions to control projects implemented so that they can follow the law and protect citizens as well as environment.
APESA project started in MAY 2025 and it will end in May 2028 and it has the focus of reaching to 36000 citizens from socio economic backgrounds like youth, women, poor and vulnerable populations and people in project affected areas.
