{"id":119267,"date":"2026-02-06T17:53:37","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T17:53:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/rgb-boss-concerned-over-declining-citizen-participation"},"modified":"2026-02-06T18:37:39","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T18:37:39","slug":"rgb-boss-concerned-over-declining-citizen-participation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/rgb-boss-concerned-over-declining-citizen-participation","title":{"rendered":"RGB boss concerned over \u2018declining citizen participation\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. <\/strong><\/span>Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) chief executive Doris Picard Uwicyeza has raised concerns over a decline in citizen participation in community activities, warning that reduced engagement could slow the country\u2019s development momentum.<\/p>\n

Speaking during a panel discussion on the second day of the National Dialogue Council (Umushyikirano), Uwicyeza said participation in key civic platforms, including Umuganda and citizens\u2019 councils, has dropped since the Covid-19 pandemic, despite their long-standing role in strengthening governance and community ownership.<\/p>\n

She stressed that Rwanda\u2019s progress over the past decades has been driven not only by government action but by active citizen involvement in national programmes and local initiatives.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur development has been possible because citizens owned government programmes and played a direct role in implementing them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Uwicyeza warned that declining participation risks weakening that partnership, which she described as central to Rwanda\u2019s governance model and long-term development ambitions under Vision 2050.<\/p>\n

She particularly called on young people to step forward and take a more active role in civic life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI urge the youth to participate more in government programmes and let your voice be heard. When you participate, you are no longer just a beneficiary, you become a partner,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Uwicyeza emphasized that citizen engagement remains essential for improving service delivery, strengthening trust between citizens and institutions, and ensuring that governance continues to respond to people\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n

Uwicyeza recalled a time when local authorities ruled through fear and coercion. She cited the former burgomaster era, when citizens summoned to meet commune offices would carry blankets, uncertain whether they would return home or be detained.<\/p>\n

\u201cGovernance has totally changed compared to those years,\u201d she said, noting that Rwanda deliberately chose to build institutions that serve, respect, and protect citizens equally.<\/p>\n

Uwicyeza explained that today\u2019s governance is measured by how institutions function, how accessible services are, and whether citizens\u2019 voices are heard.<\/p>\n

Through its annual governance and service delivery research, RGB boss said, the institution has found that trust between citizens and government has significantly improved over the past three decades, while also highlighting areas needing improvement, particularly service efficiency and responsiveness.<\/p>\n

\u201cCitizens now ask not only whether services exist, but whether they are timely, user-friendly and adapted to technology,\u201d she said, adding that expectations have evolved alongside increased access to education and digital tools.<\/p>\n

She stressed that Rwanda\u2019s progress has been driven not only by government institutions but by strong collaboration with citizens. Uwicyeza pointed to the period between 2008 and 2011, when over one million people were lifted out of poverty, crediting public ownership of government programmes such as community development and social protection initiatives.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Rwanda<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) chief executive Doris Picard Uwicyeza has raised concerns over a decline in citizen participation in community activities, warning that reduced engagement could slow the country\u2019s development momentum. Speaking during a panel discussion on the second day of the National Dialogue Council (Umushyikirano), Uwicyeza said participation in key civic […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":119266,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,14],"tags":[758,2584],"class_list":["post-119267","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-rwanda","tag-umushyikirano"],"yoast_head":"\nRGB boss concerned over \u2018declining citizen participation\u2019 - Rwanda<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) chief executive Doris Picard Uwicyeza has raised concerns over a decline in citizen partic ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/rgb-boss-concerned-over-declining-citizen-participation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"RGB boss concerned over \u2018declining citizen participation\u2019\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) chief executive Doris Picard Uwicyeza has raised concerns over a decline in citizen partic ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/rgb-boss-concerned-over-declining-citizen-participation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Rwanda\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-06T17:53:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-06T18:37:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2026\/02\/sm_1770390320.108822.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"666\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"350\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/rgb-boss-concerned-over-declining-citizen-participation#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/rgb-boss-concerned-over-declining-citizen-participation\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"RGB boss concerned over \u2018declining citizen participation\u2019\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-06T17:53:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-06T18:37:39+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/rgb-boss-concerned-over-declining-citizen-participation\"},\"wordCount\":454,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/rgb-boss-concerned-over-declining-citizen-participation#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2026\/02\/sm_1770390320.108822.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Rwanda\",\"umushyikirano\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"Policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/rgb-boss-concerned-over-declining-citizen-participation#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/rgb-boss-concerned-over-declining-citizen-participation\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/rgb-boss-concerned-over-declining-citizen-participation\",\"name\":\"RGB boss concerned over \u2018declining citizen participation\u2019 - 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