This note outlines the approach taken by the Long Term Technical Assistance (LTTA) team of Trade Mark East Africa (TMA), implemented by Imani Development, within the Rwandan Ministry of Trade and Industry (MINICOM) to providing capacity building and technical assistance. The approach is built around an understanding that the Ministry of Trade, and specifically, the external trade department, is just one player in a broader network of actors required to develop evidence-based trade policy. A system geared toward good trade policy development includes technical leadership of the process, the ability to harness expertise and inputs from a range of stakeholders, and the ability to get to agreement at political level. The LTTA has therefore focused on strengthening the system rather than focusing on a single department or on individuals.