Rwanda to partner with Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Rwanda is considering partnering with policy innovators from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as a way of building on the country’s development success.

Researchers and academics from The Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), based at MIT joined Rwandan policy makers at a Decision Science Symposium this Tuesday, May 21, 2013.
They discussed best practice policy evaluation tools and drew on research undertaken by J-PAL in 21 countries across Africa, including Rwanda.
J-PAL’s network of academics shared experiences and insights across health, education and agriculture.

“There is potential for us to learn from the rigorous impact evaluations that have been conducted not only in Rwanda but also in other East African countries and around the world,” says Amb. Claver Gatete, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning.
“In our mission to become a knowledge-based middle-income country by 2020, we need to embrace innovation, and adopt new ideas with the proven capacity to advance our economy and improve people’s lives,” he said.

Executive Director of J-PAL at MIT Dr. Rachel Glennerster, said, “We are very excited by the strong commitment of the Rwandan government for evidence based policy and are delighted to be working with Rwanda on applying lessons from rigorous impact evaluations.”
Rwanda is already implementing many of the proven programs we recommend, and it is encouraging to see this level of enthusiasm for expanding an evidence-based approach to policy,” she said