Rwanda has approved the use of the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Policy Optimization Tool to help allocate existing public resources more effectively across food and agriculture policies and programmes.
Agriculture and Animal Resources Minister Dr Telesphore Ndabamenye approved the use of the tool, known as PolOpT, after validating the results of an analysis presented during a bilateral meeting between the ministry and FAO Rwanda.
PolOpT uses policy-modelling techniques to examine how governments can distribute available resources across different policies and sectors to achieve national agrifood priorities.
It allows policymakers to assess how different spending decisions could contribute to economic growth, employment creation, poverty reduction, access to affordable and healthy diets and environmental sustainability.
The tool is intended to help the government obtain greater economic and social returns from existing public expenditure rather than requiring additional funding.
Rwanda approved the tool as the Africa Food Systems Forum 2026 takes place in Kigali, bringing together African leaders and policymakers to discuss investment in the continent’s agrifood systems.
The next phase will involve sharing the budget-optimisation results with other government institutions, including the Office of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and other ministries.
Dr Marco V. Sánchez, Deputy Director of FAO’s Agrifood Economics and Policy Division, said the minister’s endorsement demonstrated Rwanda’s interest in using evidence to improve returns from public expenditure.
“We look forward to working even more closely with his team over the next few months,” Sánchez said.
Agricultural financing and more effective public spending are also among the subjects being discussed during the Africa Food Systems Forum.
On Thursday, FAO, the African Union Development Agency–New Partnership for Africa’s Development and the Government of Ireland will host a masterclass on financing National Agrifood Systems Investment Plans.
The session, scheduled from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., is intended for policymakers responsible for designing, implementing and financing the investment plans under the African Union’s Kampala Declaration on building resilient and sustainable agrifood systems.
FAO’s Monitoring and Analysing Food and Agricultural Policies programme previously supported Nigeria in applying PolOpT while developing its National Agrifood Systems Investment Plan for 2026–2027.
On Friday, FAO, AGRA, AUDA-NEPAD and the Gates Foundation will hold a separate event demonstrating tools that can help governments obtain better results from public spending on food and agriculture.
The event will also launch the Agrifood Systems Public Expenditure Analysis methodology and classification framework.
Developed by economists from FAO’s Agrifood Economics and Policy Division and the FAO Investment Centre, the methodology is designed to help policymakers and researchers obtain a more comprehensive understanding of agrifood expenditure and how resources are distributed.
The latest developments in PolOpT will also be presented, demonstrating how governments can move beyond measuring how much they spend and determine how available resources can be allocated more effectively to achieve national priorities.
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