Outcome RWA_D_2.1

By 2029, people in Rwanda, especially the most vulnerable groups have improved livelihoods and benefit from competitive, diversified, and resilient inclusive economic growth that promotes gender equality, sustainable production and consumption.

Women programme participants recorded measurable improvements in income, economic autonomy, financial literacy, and resilience to economic and climate-related shocks. Rural women participants increased their participation in income-generating activities and agricultural value chains, resulting in an average 46% per cent rise in household income. Women reported strengthened decision-making power within households and communities, improved food security and nutrition, and enhanced savings and credit management skills. Gender-transformative approaches such as Gender Action Learning System (GALS), MenEngage and community dialogues contributed to positive shifts in social norms, reduced household conflicts, and improved joint decision-making. Caregivers experienced reduced unpaid care burdens through time- and energy-saving technologies, enabling greater engagement in productive work. Adolescent girls and young women strengthened digital and coding skills aligned with emerging labour market demands, expanding their pathways into Rwanda’s digital and green economies. These results were achieved through collective efforts led by national and local institutions, in collaboration with civil society, private sector actors, development partners, and the UN system, with UN Women Rwanda contributing technical expertise, convening power, and strategic programme support. In addressing structural barriers such as unpaid care and limited access to finance, while expanding opportunities in agriculture, green, and digital sectors, these collective efforts contribute to strengthened livelihoods, resilience, and social inclusion, therefore positioning women and girls as central contributors to Rwanda’s inclusive and sustainable economic transformation. Through the Joint Programme on Rural Women’s Economic Empowerment (JP-RWEE), implemented by UN Agencies such as FAO, IFAD, UN Women and WFP in collaboration with government institutions, civil society organisations, and financial service providers, more than 7,300 rural women increased their engagement in income-generating activities, financial services, and agricultural value chains, resulting in an average 30 per cent increase in household income. Rural women experienced significant improvements in income security and economic autonomy. Beyond income gains, women demonstrated improved financial literacy, stronger savings and credit management skills, and increased confidence in household and community financial decision-making. The programme recorded substantial gains in women’s economic empowerment. Women’s average annual farm income increased by 42.6% from USD 77.99 in 2024 to USD 111.25 in 2025, while the average annual off-farm income more than doubled , rising from USD 238.25 in 2024 to USD 500 in 2025. Financial literacy and entrepreneurship skills improved significantly, with 66.8% of women reporting enhanced competencies in managing finances. Through trained trainers, partnerships with financial institutions, and strengthened Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), women’s financial literacy and women’s access to finance continues to grow. P rogramme participants mobilized USD 72,777.54 in annual savings, reaching cumulative savings of USD 216,543.02 , and accessed USD 167,655.78 in loans since programme inception. Improved access to finance has enabled investments in agribusiness and small enterprises, agricultural inputs, education and health insurance, contributing to increased household income, financial independence, and improved intra-household relations as per the findings from the programme mid-term review.This reporting year, 720 new businesses were created by programme participants , of which 568 (79%) are owned by women. These changes contributed to improved food security, nutrition, and household well-being, while strengthening resilience to economic and climate-related shocks. Institutional capacity strengthening complemented these community-level gains. Through collaboration among ministries, local level authorities, civil society organizations, and UN partners, government and civil society officials enhanced their competencies in gender-responsive planning and budgeting, gender analysis, and programme design. UN Women supported these efforts through technical guidance and training, reinforcing institutional mechanisms for gender mainstreaming and supporting more systematic integration of gender considerations across planning, budgeting, and implementation processes. Under the 3R (Recognize, Reduce, Redistribute) programme, implemented in partnership Action Aid Rwanda, significant progress was made in reducing care burdens further enabling women’s economic participation. Findings from the Impact assessment time-and energy saving equipment and technologies (TESET) provided to households’ and women's cooperatives in Rwanda demonstrated substantial reductions in fuelwood consumption and carbon emissions, alongside significant time savings for women. The provision of energy-saving stoves and water infrastructure reduced time spent on daily household tasks, enabling women to engage more actively in income-generating activities. Additionally, training of caregivers, including men and women, improved the quality-of-care services while supporting women’s participation in productive work. These interventions strengthened the linkages between care investments, climate action, and women’s economic empowerment. Complimenting the 3R programme, 500 households benefitting from JPRWEE interventions gained reliable access to rainwater for domestic and productive use, and 525 households adopted energy-saving cooking technologies across five districts. These interventions improved climate-resilient water and energy access, reduced firewood consumption, and strengthened environmental sustainability. Time-intensive domestic work was significantly reduced, increasing women’s time availability for income-generating activities and community participation, while children gained more time for schooling. Furthermore, future-oriented economic pathways were expanded for adolescent girls and young women through partnerships with government ministries, academic institutions, innovation hubs, and the private sector through the African Girls Can Code Initiative (AGCCI) Phase III. This two-year program is focused on further developing young women’s technical skills and leadership capacity ensuring sustained progress in bridging the gender digital divide. Implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of ICT and Innovation, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, 120 high-performing girls, including girls living with disabilities from varied background and districts strengthened their digital, coding, and problem-solving skills relevant to emerging labour markets and positioning digital skills as a viable pathway for girls’ economic participation and leadership in Rwanda’s digital transformation agenda. The initiative further positions UN Women as a key coordinator of stakeholders in advancing global commitments, including the Generation Equality Action Coalition on Technology and Innovation for Gender, drawing on promising practices from initiatives like AGCCI to drive meaningful change in digital inclusion and gender equality. Integration of the initiative into national digital skilling programmes and exposure to real-world innovation systems will result in reinforcing women’s and girls’ potential to contribute to Rwanda’s digital and green economies.