Shortfall in ADP utilisation

Most ministries and divisions of the government fail to utilise the full financial allocation made to them annually. Indeed the Annual Development Programme (ADP) for the current fiscal is also not likely to be implemented in full. It has been found that, on average, only 67 percent of allocation was spent in the first 11 months of the last fiscal. Given current trends of ADP implementation, the pattern that emerges is that work is sluggish at best for the first half of the year. With only six months to go, the various bodies go into hyperdrive in an effort to expend allocated resources.

This brings into question two issues: the quality of spending given the race with time and the efficiency of planning. Some fundamental rethinking in project implementation is required if we are to get the value for money. Whilst policymakers go through the motions of expending budgetary allocation in the remainder six months, it is highly unlikely that the taxpayers' money is being well spent. 

Going by what has been reported in this paper, Local Government Division has utilised 78 percent of its allocation while the Bridges Division has utilised less than 50 percent of its financial target. Yet with each passing budget we see a scramble by various ministries and divisions for more budgetary allocation than that of the preceding fiscal. Unspent monies are a waste in terms of development goals remaining unachieved. This is where a rethinking is required on what sort of projects are to be undertaken so that we can break out of this cycle of sluggish implementation.