RALGA and MIGEPROF visit young women undertaking professional internships in local government
The Rwanda Association of Local Government Authorities (RALGA), in partnership with the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion (MIGEPROF), conducted nationwide field visits from 19th to 28th January 2026 to monitor and support young women participating in the 7th edition of the Professional Internship Program in Local Government.
The 7th edition, running from November 2025 to April 2026, aims to equip female university graduates with practical skills, leadership competencies, and confidence to actively contribute to Rwanda’s decentralized governance system. A total of 200 interns have been deployed across districts, sectors, and central institutions, forming a growing pipeline of future women leaders in local governance.
The field visits were carried out in January 2026, in collaboration with the Gender Monitoring Office (GMO) and the National Women’s Council (NWC), covered all provinces and the City of Kigali through coordinated teams composed of technical experts from partner institutions.
Mr. Valens Uwineza, RALGA Secretary General visited Kamonyi District
The primary objective of the visits was to assess interns’ performance, learning experiences, and level of integration within host institutions, while also identifying challenges and opportunities for improvement.
Teams engaged directly with interns, supervisors, and district authorities through office visits and field engagements across multiple districts including Gicumbi, Musanze, Nyamasheke, Huye, Bugesera, Gatsibo, and Rubavu, among others.
The visits provided an opportunity to evaluate interns’ day-to-day responsibilities and contributions to institutional work, the quality of mentorship and supervision provided by host institutions, the overall learning environment and professional exposure, as well as the programme’s contribution to gender equality and women’s leadership development.
Preliminary observations indicate that interns are actively contributing to service delivery and institutional functions while gaining valuable hands-on experience in planning, administration, gender mainstreaming, and community engagement. Many interns reported increased confidence, professional growth, and a stronger interest in pursuing careers in local government.
Interns in Kamonyi District
However, some challenges were identified, including variations in mentorship and supervision quality across districts, limited access to resources and structured learning opportunities in certain placements, and the need for clearer role definition in some institutions.
The internship programme continues to play a critical role in advancing Rwanda’s gender equality agenda by preparing young women to take up technical and leadership positions. Through this initiative, RALGA and MIGEPROF are not only building individual capacities but also strengthening institutional responsiveness to gender equality at the local level.
In addition to monitoring, the field visits included career guidance and job application coaching to support interns in their transition from internship to employment. Interns were encouraged to continue building their skills through professional development, mentorship, and continuous learning.
Mireille Batamuliza, PS MIGEPROF and Rutagengwa M. Francine, Deputy SG RALGA meet with district's leadership in Ngororero.
The field visits will inform the development of a comprehensive Internship Monitoring Report, including documented success stories, best practices, and a challenges and recommendations matrix to improve future editions of the programme.
RALGA and its partners reaffirm their commitment to strengthening the Professional Internship Program as a sustainable pathway for nurturing competent, confident, and impactful women leaders in Rwanda’s local governance system.
By Vanessa Gihozo, the writter is an intern at RALGA