PSP undertakes Districts Tour to ensure local service delivery

source: Republic of Botswana (22/4/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 11 of 2009
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President
Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline

C5) 16/4/09: "PSP undertakes Districts Tour to ensure local service delivery"

This week the Permanent Secretary to the President, Mr. Eric Molale, began a three week consultative tour of Districts across the country.

The primary purpose of the tour is to ensure effective coordination and implementation of District Development Plans and the efficient use of recurrent expenditures by local authorities during the current (2009-10) financial year.

In an effort to promote closer cooperation between central and local Government stakeholders, on his tour the PSP is being accompanied by the Directors of various departments and agencies concerned with local service delivery, as well as the Permanent Secretaries from the Ministries Local Government and Agriculture, along with Office of the President representatives from the Public Service Reforms Unit (PSRU) and Government Implementation Coordination Office (GICO).

In each of the Districts the PSP’s delegation will be meeting with District Development Committee (DDC) and sub-committee members to facilitate the finalisation and validation of action plans for the financial year to ensure common ownership and commitment.

Within Government there is recognition that in many districts the DDCs have not been fully effective due to insufficient collaboration and coordination by key stakeholders, as well as a failure to follow through with planning commitments and the misallocation of public resources.

In an effort to address such challenges, where necessary, district strategies are being realigned to realise optimal utilisation of required human and material resources through enhanced inter-ministerial collaboration.

Another key component in the overall initiative is the introduction of quality assurance in the form close monitoring of each stage of implementation. GICO has thus been mandated to routinely review progress reports from all Districts.

Responsible authorities in both central and local Government have been further instructed to align their Departmental Operational Boundaries with District Administrative Boundaries.

Local authorities have been also been mandated to carry out urgent clean up and maintenance campaigns through Labour Intensive Public Works.

Ongoing rationalisation of the use of Government vehicles is also being to be monitored by CTO appointed inspectors.

PSP's tour began this week in Mochudi and Molepolole, involving authorities from the Gaborone City Council and Kgatleng, Kweneng and South East Districts Development Committees.

Next week the tour will proceed to Kanye (20-21/4/09), Kang (22-23/4/09) and Ghanzi (24-25/4/09). Further Meetings are scheduled to be convened at Maun (27-28/4/09), Francistown (29-30/4/09) and Palapye (4-5/4/09).