Influence of Stakeholder Engagement on the Performance of Post-Harvest and Agribusiness Support Project in Kamonyi District, Rwanda

This study examines the impact of stakeholder engagement in monitoring and evaluation (M&E) on the performance of the Post-Harvest and Agribusiness Support Project (PASP) in Kamonyi District, Rwanda.The research explores how effective stakeholder involvement in M&E practices influences key project outcomes, including the timely identification of issues, resource management, and overall project success.Employing a descriptive research design with a mixed-methods approach, both quantitative and qualitative data were collected.The target population comprised 196 respondents, including MINAGRI staff, rural project staff, technicians, and government officials managing PASP.Convenience sampling and a census method were employed for efficiency, given the small population size.Data analysis was conducted using SPSS software version 21.The findings reveal a significant positive correlation of 0.895** between stakeholder engagement in M&E and improved project performance, highlighting a strong relationship between these two variables.This correlation suggests that as stakeholder engagement in M&E activities increases, project performance significantly improves.Furthermore, the model summary shows an R Square value of 0.748, indicating that 74.8% of the variance in project performance can be explained by M&E activities, underscoring their substantial impact on project outcomes.Regression analysis also shows that project monitoring and evaluation are vital for shaping positive project results, with the coefficient for M&E activities significantly contributing to project performance.However, challenges were noted in integrating evaluation results into decision-making processes and effectively communicating these findings to stakeholders.The study concludes with recommendations for improving the integration of evaluation results into decision-making, enhancing stakeholder engagement in M&E activities, and ensuring a balanced and strategic approach to monitoring that optimizes project performance.These measures are aimed at improving the effectiveness and sustainability of PASP and similar development projects.