Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government could not implement the public officials’ certification program, despite spending Rs 315.67 million, a major component for developing accountability in public services and ensuring effective support for the coordination of governance reforms, documents available with Pakistan Today reveal.
The documents place strong emphasis on better governance, referring the KP Integrated Development Strategy (IDS, 2014-2018), which prioritises increased coverage and quality of basic services, and development of energy, agriculture, and mining sectors. The document provides problem diagnostics as well as planned actions, timeframes, budget allocations, and Key Performance Indicators for each sector.
To improve the quality of public investment, capacity activities were needed, including the an assessment of the government’s capacity with reference to the must-have features of a well-functioning public investment system and development of a PIM action plan to address the main issues identified by the assessment.
Technical assistance and training needed for implementing the PIM action plan, including in the areas: (i) processes and tools for preparing and appraising projects; (ii) self-assessment of PIM systems to increase the productivity of investments in the water sector; (iii) project implementation, including procurement, contract management, monitoring of progress, and verification as fit for purpose (iv) asset management, including monitoring the condition of infrastructure assets and adequate operational and maintenance; and v) technical assistance for developing and implementing an integrated water resources management strategic plan for the productive utilisation of public assets.
Moreover, in an effort to identify priority areas for PFM reform, the KP government requested the World Bank for a revised assessment of provincial PFM performance.
Regarding skills development for government officials, the documents point out that optimum training and knowledge sharing with other provinces and countries was needed. Training would comprise certification courses in financial management, procurement, project management, and M&E as well as training in development planning and leadership development.
