Insufficient staffing has limited the progress and institution building of Rwanda"s food storage and marketing and local crop storage projects

Audit report covers the period 3/79-7/82 and is based on document review, site visits, and interviews with project officials. Both project papers were vague regarding the size and composition of project staff, and insufficient Government of Rwanda (GOR) staffing has in fact delayed the project and hampered institution building. For example, the Grenier National du Rwanda (GRENARWA) has provided only 2 (one of them part-time) of the 13-16 persons needed for the FSM II project, thus hindering establishment of marketing and accounting departments. Project paper implementation plans are no longer relevant and need revision. Delays in signing technical assistance contracts has prevented initiation of any of the six research studies due to be completed in 11/82 for the LCS project (which has recently been extended 3 years to 6/87). Project paper training plans were also unrealistic, and little of the planned in-country and third-country training has taken place; the few GOR personnel assigned to the project could not be sent for training without causing project activities to come to a halt. Further, some trainees are no longer with the project. Little has been done to coordinate the two projects by creating a produce buying and selling relationship between their respective cooperatives. GRENARWA has targeted its bean and sorghum sales toward national and international institutions rather than selling to the public as planned in food deficit areas where prices are rising, and has also consistently sustained heavy financial losses, preventing realization of its goal of financial self-sufficiency and creating a burden for the GOR. Finally, required audits of GRENARWA were not conducted, no financial statements were published for 1981 and 1982, and some AID-financed equipment was never put to proper use. Eight recommendations include one to prepare revised training plans despite the Office of the A.I.D. Representative"s positive view (outlined in the report) of project training.