From a Rwanda-based accountability initiative to a reference point for South–South learning, the APESA Project is increasingly attracting interest from government delegations seeking practical approaches to strengthening accountability, citizen participation and responsible development.
When international delegations visit Rwanda to learn from the country’s development and governance experience, their programmes typically include engagements with government institutions, development agencies and major infrastructure projects. Increasingly, however, the Alliances and Partnerships for Evidence-led Environmental and Social Safeguarding Accountability (APESA) Project, locally known as Ijwi Ryanjye mu Iterambere Rirambye (INTERA) is becoming part of that learning journey as a civil society-led initiative aiming at promoting accountability and compliance with environmental and social safeguarding standards.
The growing interest was particularly evident through two study visits facilitated by Rwanda Cooperation. In December 2025, a delegation from Liberia’s Ministry of Finance and Development Planning visited TI-Rwanda to learn from APESA/INTERA. The delegation’s programme included visits to MINECOFIN, the Rwanda Development Board, the EU Delegation, Rwanda Governance Board, Kigali City and selected infrastructure projects before concluding with a dedicated session on APESA.
Through this visit, Liberia’s delegation specifically identified APESA as an opportunity to learn about civil society approaches to promote government accountability, social accountability, budget monitoring and human rights.
The interest was repeated in July 2026, when a seven-member delegation from the Ministry of Finance and Planning of South Sudan visited Rwanda. The delegation engaged with institutions including MINECOFIN, Rwanda Governance Board, the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda and the Ministry of Local Government, as well as visiting development projects. On 15 July, the delegation visited APESA/INTERA to exchange experience on strengthening government accountability, with a focus on social accountability, budget monitoring and human rights.
Notably, the South Sudan delegation’s programme was primarily focused on learning from Rwanda’s systems for aid coordination and public financial management. Its inclusion of APESA offered a complementary perspective : how civil society can contribute to accountability around development programmes and infrastructure beyond formal government systems. The delegation’s brief specifically identified APESA as a learning engagement on social accountability, budget monitoring and human rights.
The attention comes as APESA moves from establishing its foundations to generating evidence and strengthening community-level accountability. The 36-month project works across 13 districts and key infrastructure sectors, including buildings, electricity, roads, and water supply and sanitation. It combines evidence generation, environmental and social safeguarding, citizen participation and capacity building to promote more accountable and sustainable infrastructure development.
The interest from Liberia and South Sudan represents more than recognition of an individual project. It demonstrates the growing relevance of home-grown, civil society-led accountability approaches in South–South knowledge exchange. APESA is therefore not only about monitoring development in Rwanda ; it is increasingly becoming part of the conversation on how African countries can learn from one another to make development more accountable, inclusive and responsive to citizens.
