On Monday 11^th October 2021, the second phase of the media development and sustainability grants jointly initiated by the Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Rwanda, was launched during a ceremony in which thirteen broadcast and online media houses signed the grants agreements.   

The Chief Executive Officer of RGB, Dr. Usta Kaitesi, and the Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP-Rwanda, Ms. Varsha Redkar-Palepu presided over the signing ceremony of the grants whose aim is to mitigate the effects of Covid-19 on the operations of the media and enhance their role in the fight against the pandemic.

Dr. Usta Kaitesi, and Ms. Varsha Redkar-Palepu witnessing  the signing ceremony of the grants

The current phase of grants, worth around 100 million Frws, focuses on enhancing the contribution of the media to the national recovery process and ongoing vaccination campaign, and supporting the recovery and financial sustainability of beneficiary media houses.

In her speech, Dr. Usta Kaitesi, commended the local media for the resilience and valiance exhibited during the Covid-19 lockdown, and the power it wields in terms of factually informing the public about the pandemic. 

“The media stayed at the frontline when Covid-19 had made other sectors impossible to work. At the stage we are in as a country in fighting and trying to recover from Covid-19, the voice of the media is a very important element in bringing the right awareness to the people” Dr. Kaitesi noted.  

The remarks were echoed by Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP-Rwanda.

“The work of the media came out strongly in the past year and that is a real testament to the impact you have had in the country. Of course, we all know we are in a very challenging time of Covid-19 and Rwanda is no exception. But you were the exception in terms of media houses and what you have done with regards to safety and security starting with awareness which you have done a fantastic job”, Ms. Redkar-Palepu said.

Group photo of winners of the second phase of media grants for development and sustainability with RGB and UNDP officials

Winners were selected through a competitive process and a total of 25 media houses had submitted their project proposals to compete for the UNDP-Rwanda funded grants, administered through its Deepening Democracy through Citizen Participation and Accountable Governance (DDAG) project.