Since May 2025, PTF Europe has been working with Transparency International-Rwanda on a 3-year European Union (EU)-funded project to promote environmental and social justice for citizens during the planning, design, and execution of public infrastructure development.

This €2.1 million project seeks to promote more open and transparent governance of environmental and social safeguarding through better information sharing and participatory environmental and social impact analyses that are meant to inform infrastructure investment plans. It also includes training for public officials on environmental and social safeguards, and for citizens and CSOs to monitor compliance of existing legislation; the training also has a social accountability component focusing on bottom-up and demand-driven development.

The project is being implemented between May 2025 and May 2028 in 13 districts of Rwanda (see map).

The overall aim of the project is to ensure environmental and social justice along the planning, design, and execution of public infrastructure development in Rwanda for adversely affected citizens. This is being done through activities that are designed to achieve the following outcomes:

Outcome 1: Open and transparent governance of environmental and social safeguarding of the planning, design and execution of public infrastructure projects by government and donors.

This will mean in practice:

  • Working to ensure timely information-sharing with citizens about upcoming new public infrastructure projects and host neighborhoods.
  • Supporting participatory environmental and social impact analyses (ESIAs) to inform infrastructure investment safeguarding plans.

Outcome 2: Rights holders and local duty bearers are becoming more knowledgeable about environmental and social safeguards and applying them to public infrastructure development processes

This will mean in practice:

  • Capacity building for CSOs and citizens on existing legislation (relating to environmental and social safeguards) to ensure they are able to monitor the compliance of public officials’ (‘duty bearers’).
  • Capacity building for public officials so that they know and can apply existing legislation (relating to environmental and social safeguards) and ultimately improve compliance.

Outcome 3: Duty bearers increasingly subject themselves, whether voluntarily or not, to accountability for unmet liabilities in relation to public infrastructure developments environmental and social safeguarding.

This will mean in practice:

  • Creating and managing partnerships to promote accountability, and ensuring their capacity to monitor and report on the compliance of public officials with existing legislation.
  • Using monitoring results to demand accountability when issues are found, and to shape the decisions and actions of public officials.
  • Providing legal aid and advocacy services to  a select group of adversely affected citizens in order to help them ensure their environmental and social rights are respected.

Program Partner

Program Funders

Our Implementing Partner

Transparency International-Rwanda (TI-RW) is implementing the project. It is a Rwandan civil society organization created in 2004, and was accredited as national chapter of Transparency International in September 2011. TI-RW works with citizens in the fight against corruption and in providing basic legal aid and mediation. It has set up 459 Citizens Concerned Committees in 59 sectors of Rwanda for citizens to actively participate in national and local processes for fighting corruption.

Ensuring Infrastructure Projects Respect Citizens’ Rights in Rwanda 

May 5, 2026: This is the aim of Transparency International Rwanda (TI-RW) and PTF Europe as they implement the EU-funded APESA project in Rwanda.

But what does it mean for citizens’ rights to be respected when infrastructure projects are designed and implemented? In some cases, it can mean that land will not be taken or houses destroyed without the owners being consulted and given adequate compensation. In others, it can mean ensuring that livelihoods will not be negatively impacted by the construction process or by the infrastructure itself. Whatever the specifics, ensuring that their rights are respected requires that citizens play a central role throughout the infrastructure cycle, through consultations and incorporating feedback in the design, construction, and operational phases of projects.

Rwanda is one of the least corrupt countries in Africa and has one of the fastest-growing economies. Infrastructure development is a priority of the government’s growth strategy and is key to improving public services. Although Rwanda has good legislation and regulations relating to environmental and social standards which cover infrastructure development, awareness and enforcement remain an issue. The resulting gap between existing requirements and actual practice undermines their utility. For example, in one survey, over 67 percent of project-affected people, 79 percent of workers, and 76 percent of citizens living nearby reported that they did not have opportunities to influence project decisions despite consultations.

The 3-year APESA project aims to improve awareness, compliance, and reporting with regard to environmental and social safeguards, and strengthen citizen trust. It is operating in 13 districts, working with government officials, project developers, and communities to bridge gaps, encourage collaboration, and ensure citizen issues and grievances are addressed. These efforts are supported by Citizen Concern Committees (CCC), local community watchdogs that can get feedback from communities and take up issues with local officials. Through APESA, 336 new CCC members have been recruited in 42 sectors and 11 districts. These CCCs, along with community-based organizations (CBOs) currently being recruited in the project’s 13 districts, will monitor public infrastructure projects that are starting or currently underway. They will assess the extent to which the projects respect existing legislation and citizens’ rights, and follow up with relevant local and national agencies if this is not the case.

The APESA project reflects strategies that TI-RW implements in Rwanda and PTF uses in projects around the world – facilitating cooperation between civil society and government entities; building the capacity of local civil society to participate in and  monitor public processes; ensuring public money is spent in a transparent and accountable manner; safeguarding citizens’ rights; and strengthening civic trust. By so doing, it will help to ensure that infrastructure projects meet the needs of local communities while also contributing to enhancing sustainable development at the national level.