WHILE the government has been dramatically increasing the amount of funding pumped directly into each District, there is an appalling lack of transparency about how those public funds are being used.
As of July 2024, analysis of media reporting by community advocacy group ACT NOW reveals just 24 out of 96 Districts have lodged their financial acquittals for 2022 or 2023 and none of those acquittals are publicly available. This is despite each District now being given K20 million a year in service and infrastructure improvement grants.
“The lack financial acquittals means there is no transparency or accountability in how District Support funds are being used. It is a huge concern as neither the public or the Department of Finance can see how the funds are being spent. It is symptomatic of the government’s failure to properly manage public monies, ultimately affecting the delivery of development projects meant to benefit our communities.
ACT NOW established the DDA Watch website in 2023 to provide the public with access to greater information about activity of every District Development Authority but has been shocked to find how little data is available.
In July, ACT NOW published analysis showing only 25% of districts have launched a Five-year Plan for 2023-27 and only 7 of those plans are publicly available.
ACT NOW has now done an analysis of media reporting to identify which Districts have filed their financial acquittals and has found a similar level of non-compliance with statutory requirements.
Breaking the numbers down by region, ACT NOW has found the Highlands region is performing the worst when it comes to accounting for its spending:
Highlands: only 7 districts out of 36 have filed acquittals (19%);
Momase: only 6 districts out of 23 have filed acquittals (26%);
Southern region: only 6 districts out of 21 have filed acquittals (29%);
Islands region: only 5 out of 13 have filed acquittals (39%).
ACT NOW has also identified seven provinces in which none of the districts have filed a financial acquittal for 2022 or 2023: Hela, Jiwaka, Western Highlands, Southern Highlands, Gulf, Manus and New Ireland.
Although Morobe stands out as the province with the highest number of Districts (three) that have dutifully submitted their financial acquittals for 2022 or 2023, this still only represents 30% of the ten Districts in the province. Nationally, just 25% of Districts have submitted their 2022 or 2023 acquittals.
ACT NOW says the District Services Improvement Program (DSIP) and District Infrastructure Program (DIP) should be used to deliver decent public services to local communities. But the lack of District planning and the failure to acquit for how funds are being used raises questions about the proper use of public monies and the effectiveness of the programs intended to improve the lives of citizens.
Act Now recommends:
Leadership Code Enforcement: The Ombudsman Commission (OC) should take action against District CEOs who fail to create plans or submit acquittals.
Funding Restrictions: The Department of Finance should withhold further DSIP (District Services Improvement Program) and DIP (District Infrastructure Program) funds from districts that have not submitted their acquittals.
Audit Expansion: The government should fund the expansion of the Auditor-General’s Office (AGO) to enable it to conduct audits for all 96 districts.
These measures aim to promote accountability and ensure that public funds are used effectively and transparently.
For further information, visit the DDA Watch website www.ddawatch.org
