Improved oversight of agriculture funding and development programmes is expected following a three-year cooperation agreement between the National Monitoring and Coordination Authority (NMCA) and the Department of Agriculture and Livestock (DAL).
The arrangement is designed to bring government agencies and agricultural stakeholders closer together, improve accountability for public expenditure and ensure projects are implemented according to their intended objectives.
NMCA chief executive officer David Wereh and DAL Secretary Dr Sergie Kopen Bang formalised the partnership yesterday at Melanesian Haus in Port Moresby.
The agreement addresses concerns over fragmented development efforts involving government departments, provincial administrations and agriculture organisations, which have contributed to difficulties in translating plans into practical results.
Mr Wereh said the authority had an important role in bringing government institutions together to coordinate development work and monitor implementation.
“NMCA has got a big part to play in trying to bring that coordinated approach to doing development in the country,” he said.
He said independent reviews of government programmes had highlighted shortcomings in governance and management, making stronger oversight necessary.
Through the partnership, NMCA and DAL will work to ensure government resources are properly allocated, payments are delivered to intended recipients and funded projects achieve their objectives.
Dr Bang said agriculture could not progress without the involvement of other government departments, private businesses and development partners.
He said achieving the targets contained in the Medium Term Development Plan IV would require a coordinated national effort.
“These development outcomes, as I explained in the Medium Term Development Plan IV, we cannot achieve on our own. We need all of the key government departments, the private sector and everyone to be working together,” he said.
Dr Bang said the collaboration would contribute to boosting production, generating employment, increasing family incomes and reducing malnutrition, especially among rural populations.
The MoU requires both institutions to work under an approved plan and conduct regular monitoring to measure progress and improve the implementation of programmes.
NMCA said the agreement was its first memorandum of understanding with a government department.