Rwanda country strategic plan (2026-2030)

CSP approved by the EB November 2025 session.

At the heart of Rwanda’s Vision 2050 is the goal of achieving middle-income status by 2035 and high-income status by 2050. Consistent economic progress towards that vision has led to significant achievements in reducing poverty and disparities, advancing women’s empowerment, and improving environmental sustainability, education and public health.

However, progress has slowed since 2020 due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, regional instability, recurring climate shocks and rising food prices, which together have hampered efforts to address food and nutrition insecurity, especially in rural areas, where 83 percent of households rely on subsistence agriculture.

Food insecurity affects 17 percent of households, contributing to stunting rates of up to 30 percent among children under 5. Micronutrient deficiencies are widespread, with anaemia affecting 36.6 percent of children aged 6–59 months and 13 percent of women of reproductive age. The primary drivers of food and nutrition insecurity are complex and mutually reinforcing and include low productivity of smallholder agriculture, unequal access to resources for vulnerable groups, food price inflation and poor dietary diversity.

The Government of Rwanda follows a strong “whole-of-government” approach to development, focusing on human capital and the integration of sectors and policies for health, agriculture, education and social protection. While young people make up 65 percent of the population, youth unemployment rates remain high at 15.4 percent compared with 12.1 percent among the adult population.

Despite the Government’s strong vision and policy frameworks, systemic institutional capacity gaps and a challenging fiscal space constrain ambition. External funding is inadequate and shrinking.

Guided by Rwanda’s Vision 2050, WFP is strategically mobilizing its expertise, partnerships and community relationships to reduce food insecurity, strengthen food systems and end malnutrition, especially for the most vulnerable people. This country strategic plan has been formulated in line with the priorities of the second national strategy for transformation, covering the period 2024–2029, and the United Nations sustainable development cooperation framework for 2025–2029 and is informed by analysis, evidence, lessons learned and achievements under the country strategic plan for 2019–2025. Under this plan, WFP will support government efforts through the attainment of four outcomes:

➢ Outcome 1: By 2029, food-insecure and crisis-affected people in Rwanda – including refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons, returnees and host communities – benefit from safe, inclusive and life-saving interventions that address their urgent food and nutrition needs throughout the year and build self-reliance.

➢ Outcome 2: By 2029, poor and vulnerable people in Rwanda, including children, benefit from enhanced national systems and programmes, including school meals, that promote human capital, resilience, and food and nutrition security.

➢ Outcome 3: By 2029, smallholder farmers and food-insecure households, especially women, youth, persons with disabilities and camp-based refugees in rural areas, benefit from decent livelihoods and sustainable food systems including improved natural resource management, increased resilience to shocks, and improved access to healthy diets.

➢ Outcome 4: By 2029, communities affected by crises in Rwanda benefit from enhanced capacities of the Government of Rwanda and the humanitarian community to respond to emergencies rapidly and effectively as they arise.