The Rwandan lower chamber of parliament on Tuesday unanimously adopted a draft law aimed at merging some state agencies to enhance efficiency, with hundred members of the workforce at risk as job losses.
According to the draft law, several government agencies with similar missions will be merged into one institution where in the first instance the Institute Of National Museums of Rwanda will be merged with Rwanda Academy of Language and Culture and the Archives and Library Services Authority which was until recently under ministry of Culture.
In a similar development, Rwandan lawmakers also approved the law removing two more agencies including the National Commission of Children and the Rwandan Academy of Language and Culture.
It is expected during the new restructuring of Government agencies, several hundred of jobs may be cut in the public administration.
The reduction will apparently be more drastic in the new merged departments.
It is still unclear if this draft law was suggested to deal with the impact and consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
The COVID-19 pandemic characterized by airports and border closures as well as lockdowns, has already become an economic and labour market shock, impacting not only supply but also demand.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) projection of the annual GDP for Rwanda shows that a change of around 3.5% will occur in 2020 and 6.7% in 2021.
CU/abj/APA