FUNCTIONAL REVIEW AND INSTITUTIONAL AUDIT COMPLETED
The Government of Rwanda initiated public sector reforms to enhance efficiency and effectiveness of Public Sector Institutions for a better and improved service delivery. Under the ongoing reforms, the missions and objectives of public sector institutions were reviewed and strategic plans developed in line with the deliverables envisaged in the country’s development objectives set out in Vision 2020 and EDPRS. The public service was re-organized and right sized and a number of functions either decentralized to be performed at various levels of government or outsourced to be performed by the private sector and civil society organizations.
Through the Ministry of Public Service and Labour (MIFOTRA), Government with the support from the World Bank through its Public Sector Capacity Building Project (PSCBP), which is coordinated by the Human Resources and Institutional Capacity Development Agency (HIDA) conducted a functional review and institutional audit for 6 Priority Ministries as a pilot to measure progress in the implementation of the reforms and assess their impact in the delivery of services to the population. The assignment covered the following ministries; (i) Ministry of Public Service & Labour, MIFOTRA; (ii) Ministry of Finance & Economic Planning, MINECOFIN; (iii) Ministry of Education, MINEDUC; (iv) Ministry of Health, MINISANTE; (v) Ministry of Infrastructure, MININFRA; (vi) Ministry of Lands, Environment, Forestry, Water, and Mines, MINITERRE.
The objective of the functional review and institutional audit was to evaluate the whole reform process in public institutions, analyzing its achievements based on its objectives and its impact on the functioning of ministries and their effectiveness of achieving strategic plans, with the view to streamlining the reform process; make concrete recommendations for improving the efficiency of the 6 ministries under review in implementing their action plans and sector strategies; extrapolate from the analysis of 6 ministries reviewed, to make general recommendations for improvement of institutional structures to be considered in future phases of institutional reforms of the public service; develop a methodology as well as build capacity of the ministry’s staff for future functional analysis; and to identify functions currently undertaken by these central ministries that could more effectively and efficiently be carried out if outsourced to private sector entities or civil society and/or decentralized to districts or sectors.
Oxford Policy Management provided technical support in this assignment and carried out its work from March to May 2007. On 3rd May 2007, a stakeholder workshop which was presided over by the Hon. Minister of Public Service, Prof. Nshuti Manasseh, was held to review the findings of the Review exercise, provide comments and input on the draft report.
A comprehensive Report will be completed in August 2007 highlighting the situational analysis of considered institutions clearly indicating an analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the reform of the public service with applicable recommendations to deal with the weaknesses and threats.
With effect from September 2007, other Government institutions will also be reviewed with support from UNDP.
