Overview

Expertise France is the French agency for international cooperation established in 2015. The agency develops and implements projects that sustainably strengthen public policies in low- and middle-income countries and focuses on four priority areas:

• Strengthening health systems, social protection and employment;
• Democratic, economic and financial governance;
• Stability of countries in crisis/post-crisis situations and security;
• Combating climate change and favouring sustainable urban development.

In these areas, Expertise France engineers and implements capacity-building projects, mobilises technical expertise and acts as a project coordinator, bringing together public expertise and private know-how. With an annual business volume of 445 million euros in 2024 and over 400 projects in 145 countries, Expertise France's activities are part of France's international cooperation policy and official development assistance.

Active since 2020 in Rwanda, Expertise France Rwanda implements technical assistance projects, primarily funded by the European Union, AFD and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The agency's main areas of intervention in Rwanda are:

• Health
• Education and TVET
• Sustainable development, climate and agriculture
• Digitalisation

Project description

Rwanda recognizes sport as a powerful catalyst for human development and social transformation. Since the adoption of the Rwanda Sports Development Policy in 2012, the government has affirmed its commitment to promote mass participation, equitable access, and talent development in sport. This commitment was further consolidated through the 2020 School Sports Policy, which positioned sport as an integral part of the national education pathway, encouraging health promotion as well as structured and inclusive opportunities for talent to emerge from pre-primary through higher education.

However, this developing sector faces systemic challenges, including insufficient number of adequate infrastructure, insufficiently qualified technical staff, gender disparities, and limited access for learners with disabilities which continue to hinder the development of a truly inclusive sports ecosystem.

AFD supported the first phase of ISONGA programme (2021–2024) with a €1.5 million grant, reaching 599 student-athletes (42% girls) across 17 pilot schools. This phase delivered initial training, coaching support, equipment, and coordination mechanisms.

In alignment with these ambitions, Isonga Phase 2 financed through and loan and a grant of AFD, hold the core objective to establish a sustainable, inclusive, and gender-responsive national school sports system. This system aims to guarantee that all girls and boys, regardless of their background, have equitable opportunities to access high-quality sports activities as part of their educational journey. Thus, the program seeks to strengthen their academic retention, nurture civic values, and contribute to greater social cohesion and youth empowerment across Rwanda. The phase 2 will also extend the geographic scope, and cover all the districts of the country to expand the opportunities for the young Rwandan generation.

The second phase of ISONGA (2025–2029) aims to expand and consolidate this school-based sports system in 42 schools nationwide. Expertise France is mobilized to provide technical assistance  to reinforce the MINISPORT and notably its Single Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) capacity, enhance multi-level coordination, and support the professionalization of a sustainable, inclusive school sports ecosystem throughout the country. The objective of the technical assistance mission is to ensure strategic, operational, and institutional support to the Ministry of Sports’ SPIU for the effective implementation of the ISONGA 2 program.