Thursday, July 23, 2026 – In Karongi District, a provincial coordination meeting brought together government officials and stakeholders to discuss the status of stunting and explore measures that would help reduce it to below 15% by 2029.

The meeting was co-chaired by the Minister of Gender and Family Promotion (MIGEPROF), Consolee Uwimana, and the Western Province Governor, Jean Bosco Ntibitura. It brought together senior officials, including MIGEPROF Permanent Secretary Mireille Batamuriza, National Child Development Agency (NCDA) Director General Ingabire Assumpta, and NCDA Deputy Director General Gilbert Munyemana, as well as development partners, private sector representatives, and district leaders, among others.

Reflecting on the status of stunting in the province, Governor Ntibitura referred to findings from the 2025 Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey (RDHS), which show that 32.7% of children under five are stunted in the province. This is significantly higher than the national prevalence of 27%, highlighting the need for intensified efforts to accelerate stunting reduction across the province.

“We are rated high compared to national average (27%). It requires us concentrated efforts to ensure stunting reduction to below 15% by 2029,” he said.

Delving deeper into the data from the recent DHS, DG Ingabire noted that there are underlying factors contributing to the high stunting rate in the province. She called for a thorough analysis of the data to better understand the challenges and realities driving the high prevalence of stunting and inform targeted interventions.

Minister Uwimana said that a stunted child loses a big part of his/her development capacity, the country loses part of efforts to future development, a reason why fighting stunting should not be an option but everyone’s priority.

She said that it is rare for a stunted child to attain full growth, performing well in their studies and to develop themselves or contribute to national gains.

Though the Western province recorded progress in stunting reduction, she urged that a lot need to be done to reach national target.

 “The province has recorded remarkable progress in stunting reduction compared to the 2020 DHS, however, there is a huge gap to fix to reach the national target to have it reduced below 15% by 2029. I call upon each district to allocate ample time for reassessing remnant challenges, and decide on measures to address them,” she urged. 

The Minister urged local leaders and partners to intensify campaigns promoting the consumption of animal-source foods, while calling on parents to include fish in their children’s diets, given its availability in many districts across the province.

According to Demographic and Health Survey, Western Province reduced stunting from 40% in 2020 to 32.7% in 2025.