Beneficiaries’ Participation and Project Sustainability in Rwanda: A Case of Land Husbandry Water Harvesting and Hillside Irrigation Project in Rulindo District

Abstract

Project sustainability is a global concern, with the goal of ensuring project objectives continue after official closure. However, project failure remains a mystery due to various factors. This study aimed to determine the impact of beneficiaries' participation in project identification, planning, and implementation on project sustainability in Rwanda. The research used stakeholder theory, reasoned action theory, and sustainability theory, with a descriptive design for both quantitative and qualitative data. The study involved 38 participants and a sample size of 35. The researcher analyzed and interpreted theoretical literature, empirical and critical literature, and presented a conceptual framework. Stratified sampling technique was used to select defendants representing various groups, and a regression model was used. Descriptive survey design was used to gather general information and administer questionnaires to respondents. Simple Random sampling method was used for staff selection. Regression analysis revealed that beneficiaries' participation in identification significantly affects project sustainability (β= 0.628, p =.000). However, beneficiaries' participation in planning had no statistically significant effect on project sustainability improvement (β= 0.048, p =.689). However, beneficiaries' participation in project implementation had a statistically significant effect on project sustainability (β= 0.584, p =.000). The study successfully achieved all research objectives and addressed the research gap by acquiring new knowledge from existing literature. The researcher recommends that governments, non-governmental organizations, and private sector federations implement measures to improve beneficiaries' participation in project management skills, and projects initiators, founders, donors, and managers should enhance their capabilities to contribute to project sustainability.