Voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) have gained prominence in the agri-food sector as marketbased tools to address environmental and social concerns in global supply chains. While third-party certifications like Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade have been extensively studied, company-led...

Rwanda is among the fastest‐growing economies in Sub‐Saharan Africa, often discussed in the context of a ‘development state’. This paper examines whether Rwanda can be classified as a ‘developmental dictatorship’, a term closely associated with South Korea. It compares Rwanda's...

Rwanda, like many African countries, endeavours to overcome the food insecurity challenge with different initiatives. One such initiative is the ' one-cow-per-poor-family' programme known as the 'Girinka Programme'. With the introduction of every cow into the household, there is a resultant...

The topic of second-hand clothing illustrates the economic, social, and environmental impacts of global textile and garment value chains and, more broadly, the complex interrelations in production, trade, and consumption between the Global South and the Global North. The dynamics of global...

A strong private sector is critical for growth, jobs, and development. Yet many developing economies still face barriers to becoming truly supportive environments for the private sector. Despite these constraints, two economies -Rwanda (a low-income country) and Georgia (an upper-middle-income...

We study the spillover effects of a large-scale public health insurance programme on early learning outcomes in Rwanda. The policy, the community based health insurance programme, which expands affordable healthcare services especially among rural and low-income families, was introduced in...

As part of its efforts to secure access to critical raw materials (CRMs), the EU has concluded Strategic Partnerships on Raw Materials with 14 non-EU countries. These partnerships aim to diversify supply sources and to deepen ties with resource-rich countries, thereby strengthening the...

Despite a challenging external environment, Rwanda's economy grew by 8.9 percent in 2024, driven by robust performances in services, construction, and food crop production. Inflation stabilized within the central bank's target range, underpinned by a combination of tight monetary policy and...

The report Exploring Enabling Energy Frameworks for Battery Electric Buses in Rwanda assesses the capacity of Rwanda's energy sector to support the growing shift toward electric mobility, with a focus on battery electric buses (BEBs). Undertaken within the framework of the World Bank's Rwanda...

This report summarizes the findings from a survey on sustainable livelihoods of refugees in Rwanda. The survey was designed to assess the living conditions, economic status, and overall well-being of refugees, and structured around the indicators included in a self-reliance measure for refugees...

A cluster-randomized controlled trial in rural Rwanda evaluated a 22-week couples' training program aimed at reducing intimate partner violence (IPV) by shifting gender norms and promoting equitable relationships among Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) members. Contrary to...

Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) play a key role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the Directorate General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) of the European Commission joined forces launching the project on STI for...

Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) play a key role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the Directorate General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) of the European Commission joined forces launching the project on STI for...

The project focuses on transforming cooking practices in Rwanda through locally produced, affordable, and efficient cookstoves. It has scaled up production and distribution of clean cookstoves, integrating circular economy strategies and local materials to lower costs. This initiative has...

Rwanda's economy remained resilient in 2024, with GDP growth reaching 8.9 percent, driven by strong performances in services, industry, and a rebound in agriculture. Despite strong export growth, the current account deficit widened due to decline in official transfers. This necessitated...

At the request of the National Bank of Rwanda (NBR), a technical assistance (TA) mission from the Monetary and Capital Markets (MCM) department was conducted from October 9 to 18, 2023, to enhance the NBR's Forecasting and Policy Analysis System (FPAS). The mission aimed to strengthen the...

Voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) have gained prominence in the agri-food sector as marketbased tools to address environmental and social concerns in global supply chains. While third-party certifications like Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade have been extensively studied, company-led...

This study aims to quantify the extent to which poor households receiving cash support from the Vision Umurenge Programme (VUP) allocate their income across major spending categories, mainly consumption, savings, household-level investment, and cash transfers for community participation. The...

In recent years, farmers have faced growing exposure to economic shocks, extreme weather events, and conflicts, threatening their incomes, especially in developing countries. This study investigates whether voluntary sustainability standards help mitigate the economic impact of price shocks,...

Mushroom cultivation represents an auspicious avenue to address poverty and food insecurity in land-scarce countries like Rwanda. However, nearly two decades after it was introduced in Rwanda's agricultural system, little is known about the farm-level practices, benefits, as well as the...

Voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) provide consumers with the assurance that certified products are produced under more sustainable conditions. While the literature on VSS has expanded considerably, most studies rely on cross-sectional data, thereby providing only a snapshot in time and...

In recent years, farmers have faced growing exposure to economic shocks, extreme weather events, and conflicts, threatening their incomes, especially in developing countries. This study investigates whether voluntary sustainability standards help mitigate the economic impact of price shocks,...

Voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) provide consumers with the assurance that certified products are produced under more sustainable conditions. While the literature on VSS has expanded considerably, most studies rely on cross-sectional data, thereby providing only a snapshot in time and...

In this study, we explore the impact of a smart classroom (SCM) programme on student performance in science subjects in a high-stakes national exam for middle-high school students in Rwanda. To do this, we leverage plausibly exogenous variations in programme exposure induced by the staggered...

Increasing food demand will most likely be met with agricultural intensification and land clearing, exacerbating environmental consequences associated with food supply. The mechanisms and trade-offs between agriculture and the environment are heterogeneous and not well understood, yet key to...

Sustainability standards promise not only to promote environmentally friendly production, but also to improve farmers' livelihoods by linking them to high-value markets. While there has been extensive research on how sustainability standards affect farmers' incomes, much less attention has been...

We study the effect of a health insurance premium change on labour supply. Using a matching with difference-in-differences strategy on a pooled nationwide cross-sectional and panel data, we find that both premium waivers and premium increased led to a reduction in labor supply by almost similar...

The livestock-dairy sector in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Rwanda, is experiencing rapid growth due to population expansion, urbanisation, and changing food preferences. The unmet local production demands are causing soil and water pollution, competition for biomass, land, and water, but...

Rationale The COVID-19 pandemic along with its devastating impact on human lives has disrupted the socioeconomic situation worldwide. Rwanda has adopted lockdowns and other measures to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent studies documented the macro-level socio-economic pandemic...