By Kelvin Chisanga
Zambia could consider establishing a Government Accountability and Performance Forum, drawing lessons from Ghana’s approach to public financial management and based on the basket of policy reforms.
This should not be viewed merely as an audit platform, but as a structured government forum where ministries, provinces and public institutions regularly report on what they have achieved, what they are implementing and where challenges remain. This should work alongside the Presidential Delivery Unit and the Private-Public Dialogue Forum.
The forum could highlight key areas of government focus, including infrastructure, agriculture, mining, energy, healthcare, education, investment, job creation and public-finance management.
It would provide an opportunity for Government to explain policies and programmes directly, present measurable progress and outline corrective measures where targets are not being met. At the same time, citizens, Parliament, the media and other stakeholders would have a clearer basis for assessing performance.
Accountability should therefore move beyond simply asking “Where did the money go?” to also asking “What was achieved, what impact has been created and what still needs to be done?”
Such a platform could strengthen transparency, improve public communication and build confidence in government programmes.
The objective should be simple: make government performance visible, measurable and accountable to the people.
Featured image: Zambia National Assembly Building. Photo by Lighton Phiri via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Related analysis: Citizens, Not Subjects: Why Dignity Is an Economic Institution in Zambia
