Projects must reflect value for money
TANZANIA: ON Sunday, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa expressed his dismay at the poor quality of desks and chairs made for Iramba Girls’ Secondary School in Iringa Region.
The Premier, who was vividly angered by what he witnessed during the inspection of the school implementation project, said he was not satisfied with the furniture availed since it was utterly substandard.
The situation that Prime Minister Majaliwa witnessed with regard to the school project, especially the poor furniture availed to education facility, paints a bigger picture of leadership laxity displayed by some leaders at district council level.
We hold this view (leadership laxity) simply because Tanzania boasts its functioning local government system that is responsible for overseeing all projects carried out at council level.
However, when leadership laxity prevails at council level, implementation of projects automatically becomes of dismal level.
Taking the question of substandard furniture at the centre of this piece, the question that comes to one’s mind is: How could the poorly-made furniture be brought to school in the watchful eye of council officials?
Poor implementation of projects at council level is a menace that top government officials- the President, the Vice-President and the Prime Minister- have been strongly speaking against.
Record shows this problem has been prompting top government leaders, including the PM himself to issue strong warnings against errant officials, with legal and disciplinary measures being instituted against culprits.
Despite the measures, it appears some district officials are adamant to change. The concept of Value for Money (VfM) is easily understood as “not paying more for a good or service than its quality or availability justifies.”
In relation to public spending, it implies a concern with economy (cost minimisation), efficiency (output maximisation) and effectiveness (full attainment of the intended results).
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It must also support the value of equity. Value for money is the effective, efficient, and economic use of resources, which requires an evaluation of relevant costs and benefits along with an assessment of risks, nonprice attributes, and/or total cost of ownership as appropriate.
Tanzania, like any other nation, implements development projects in all sectors through funds collected from various sources.
There are funds collected from domestic sources and those that are externally sourced. The country also receives some from development partners.
When the government raises funds from various sources it expects leaders to judiciously spend them so that they contribute to the country’s development, including uplifting the standards of life of ordinary Tanzanians.
It brings no sense when we witness or hear that some public leaders somewhere in this country have either embezzled or stolen public money that should have been used to finance certain development projects.
Going by experience, district council officials are mostly involved in financial malpractice at the expense of poor people.
It is no surprise to see some nations instituting severe measures against thieves of public funds. This is the reason we say there should be no room for them.
