Agencies ignore ACT NOW! push for DDA transparency

Government agencies have failed to respond to repeated requests from civil society group ACT NOW!, leaving citizens without access to basic accountability documents on district spending.

Speaking to Post- Courier Online, Campaign Manager Eddie Tanago said that his team delivered 96 letters to district offices and 35 letters to Department of Implementation and Rural Development (DIRD) asking for five- year plans, acquittals and inspection reports.

“We got no response at all, and it’s very difficult to access these reports,” Mr Tanago said.

The watchdog’s latest DDA Watch Website report shows only 37 out of 96 district development authorities (DDAs) have a five- year plan and just 12 have made them public.

Only one DDA has published its annual budget and one has released an acquittal report, while no DIRD inspection reports or financial audits are available to the public.

Despite each district now receiving K20 million annually under District Services Improvement Program (DSIP) and District Improvement Program (DIP), citizens remain unable to track how money for schools, hospitals and roads is managed.

The watchdogs ranking system gave the highest- scoring DDA just 67 out of 100, while 15 DDAs scored zero and the national average was only 18.

Mr Tanago told Post- Courier Online that the silence from responsible agencies undermines transparency and accountability.

“Responsible agencies are not playing their part,” he stressed, warning that without public oversight communities cannot verify whether promised projects are delivered or funds are properly spent.

ACT NOW! launched the DDA Watch Website in 2023 to give citizens access to district information, but with agencies refusing to provide documents, most DDAs remain unaccountable.

The report concludes that until agencies cooperate, billions of Kina in public funds will continue to be spent without scrutiny.

Watch the full Nasfund PC Podcast now find more - https://videopress.com/v/nABvdE1U