Minister for Provincial and Local Level Government Affairs Soroi Marepo Eoe presented to Parliament a consolidated Annual Provincial Governments Performance Report (APGPR) for the years 2018 to 2022. Minister Eoe stated that this is the third report since the inception of the Organic Law on Provincial and Local Level Government (OLPLLG) in 1995. He said it is concerning that there is a 27-year gap in reporting on Provincial Government performance and this lapse is attributed to challenges including political interference in Provincial Administrator appointments, chronic votes of no confidences, funding constraints and more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic. “Despite the challenges, 10 provinces have consistently complied with requirements of the OLPLLG with timely submission of their S119 reports over a 10-year period from 2014 to 2023. I assure this Honorable House that this report will be presented annually going forward. Regular reporting will enable my department to proactively identify risks and compliance issues, preventing legal penalties and reputational damage to Provincial Governments, while strengthening governance and enhancing service delivery. Section 119 of the OLPLLG mandates Provincial Governments to submit a performance report by June 30th each year. Compliance is critical to the regulatory framework for service delivery at the provincial level, ensuring systemic documentation of adherence to the Organic Law and delivery of the Minimum Priority Activities (MPA),” Minister Eoe stated. He said the six (6) MPAs are:

• Governance
• Education
• Health
• Works and Transport
• Law and Justice
• Primary Production

“The National Government allocates annual funding to Provincial Governments for the delivery of these essential services. Compliance reporting on the MPA improves accountability and builds trust between Provincial Governments and the people they serve, enhancing relationships and building confidence in service delivery. This is the six (6) major findings of the report:

• Provincial Government lack compliance with Section 119
• Decline in Basic Health and Education services
• Decline in Primary Production
• Decline in Law and Order and Justice Services
• Decline in Transport Services
• Decline in Governance services

These significant issues stem from a lack of compliance with Section 119 of the Organic Law. The majority of provinces (65%) are not submitting reports on time or not at all, hindering transparency and accountability,” he said. Minister Eoe stated that to address these challenges, his department is:

• Permanently relocating 20 officers to be based in the provinces
• Digitizing S119 and other subnational reporting templates
• Strengthening governance frameworks at the provincial and local levels
• Ensuring better planning and budgeting processes

Implementing localized policy interventions at the ward level to ensure equitable access to health and education services.