PTF Europe and TI-Rwanda training team, along with Trainers trained at the completion of the Training-of-Trainers in Muhanga.
June 10, 2026: If you want sustainable change, everyone involved – from government to citizens – needs to have a say in the process. That principle is core to the approach used by PTF in dozens of countries since its inception, and has guided PTF Europe and Transparency International Rwanda (TI-RW) in the EU-funded APESA project in Rwanda. APESA works to ensure that infrastructure projects respect citizens’ rights and views and protect the environment.
One key step in the process is to raise awareness of the need to adhere to environmental and social standards. These norms and regulations make sure that infrastructure projects respect the rights of communities and workers, safeguard their health, and preserve the surrounding environment. In other words, these standards aim to ensure that infrastructure projects, once completed, do not leave an area worse off than it was before.
To build this awareness, PTF Europe and TI-RW conducted a Training-of-Trainers course in Muhanga in November 2025 that focused on the World Bank’s Environmental and Social Standards (ESS). PTF Europe prepared the course, which included sessions by local consultants. These sessions focused on Rwanda’s existing laws governing infrastructure projects and the need to respect people’s rights and protect the environment. Participants came from district governments, local civil society organizations (CSOs), and representatives of national government agencies, underscoring the important and complementary role that they all play in ensuring citizens’ rights are respected in infrastructure development and in strengthening citizen trust.
Over two one-week sessions, 43 attendees were trained using presentations, group discussions, case studies, and a field visit organized in collaboration with the Rwanda Transport Development Agency (RTDA). The field visit enabled participants to see how well the course content had been implemented in World Bank-funded roads projects, including one which linked Nyanza and Nyamata and another linking Karongi and the Kiziba refugee camp. Participants welcomed insights on how the Grievance Redress Committee had addressed local citizens’ concerns and complaints relating to the projects and how these had been resolved.
Additionally, the training covered social accountability, focusing specifically on how CSOs, citizens, and local governments can work together to facilitate improved public services and strengthened citizen trust. Participants engaged in discussions about the different ways this has been done, and on how existing processes could be improved to better respond to citizen needs, including with the help of CSOs.
After the training, participant evaluations showed strong satisfaction and improved knowledge of key issues. Through their own self-evaluations, participants assessed that their knowledge of environmental and social standards and application in Rwanda increased by 36.7% over the course of the training, while their knowledge of social accountability increased by 57.6%.
In the coming months, the trainers who participated in the course will train others within their own organizations, with some volunteering to train other stakeholders in their districts. The intent is that knowledge will cascade at the local level. In turn, PTF Europe and TI-RW believe that increased awareness will result in more effective implementation of existing legislation and rules protecting citizens’ rights in infrastructure project development, increased government responsiveness, and greater community voice in project areas while facilitating compliance with international standards and donor requirements.
