Kigali, Oct 25 (IANS) The government of Rwanda and One UN Rwanda Friday signed 7.2 million dollars financing deal to build capacity in data generation and enhance evidence based on policy planning.

Speaking to reporters in Kigali, Rwanda's Minister of Finance Claver Gatete said the grant will strengthen the capacity of national and sub-national institutions to generate data and enhance evidence-based on policy planning, analysis and monitoring and evaluation, Xinhua reported.

The support was in line with the country's development blueprint, the second Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS2), on increasing engagement of citizens in development planning at all levels, the minister explained.

This support, he said, will also focus on in-depth analysis and utilisation of existing information for evidence-based policy making and monitoring and evaluation, especially at decentralised levels.

"Developing our capacities in data and demographic collection and analysis is critical in policy making and economic development," the minister added.

The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Rwanda, Lamin Manneh, said, "You can't manage what you cannot measure, and that's why the UN is partnering with Rwanda government in areas of capacity building."

"Data collection and analysis are instrumental in tracking progress towards the realisation of the set results of the EDPRS2 and other international development goals," Manneh said.

The project will support institutional capacity building for data production in socio-demographic and economic surveys such as census, the comprehensive food security and vulnerability analysis and demographic and health survey.

It will also support integrated households living conditions survey, various more sector specific surveys and frameworks like gender statistics framework will also be strengthened.