By ANDREW KALIMA – VOLKER Seitz, a former German diplomat with 17-years of experience in Africa, once said that three out of four development projects in Africa fail.
This may sound not familiar to many but the truth is that what is now obvious in some African countries is that several governments are committed to bring on the table what appears as viable development projects aimed at improving the plight of communities, adopting strategic approach towards poverty reduction accelerating sustained improved welfare of of societies.
In Zambia, Government has directed colossal sums of money towards infrastructure development, which was an ingredient to foster development but there are hurdles in the implementation process.
For example, Government agents and officers have been found wanting in their own failure to support smooth implementation of development projects. It is no secret that some funding relased to foster development has often been used to maintain systems of favouritism and cronyism within the public service, which was the main driver in implementing Government projects.
That is sad. Perhaps, this also explains why President Edgar Lungu recently warned that he will part company with some Government officials and contractors if his audit of developmental projects countrywide reveals that they are the ones hindering progress.
This is so because some Government elements have been slowing down developmental projects in a number of parts of the country, reversing the pace of progression.
The President is quoted in this publication as wondering why at times the release of money to fund projects, including some at  98 percent completion rate, took up to a year, saying that kind of procrastination would not be condoned.
“This year, 2018, I will be doing snap checks and audits of all the works we promised to do and I want convincing reasons why they are not being done. So let it be a warning to all of you who are charged with these projects,” he said.
In Chinsali District’s Mulilansolo area, President Lungu recently said that certain projects were like low hanging fruit and could be completed quickly if they were taken seriously.
This also explains why the contractor working on the Chinsali-Mulilansolo Road and others working on other infrastructure in Chinsali District have exhibited unwanted s lethargic work attitude towards efficiently completing the affected project within specified timeframe.
The President was now billed to meet the contractor working on the Chinsali-Mulilansolo Road, as well as the ministries of Finance and Infrastructure Development to find out why works have been delayed.
From the face value, some officers are sleeping over duty and it is difficult to sleep a sleeping public officer who exists on taxpayers’ money.
To qualify his findings, President Lungu decided to travel to Mulilansolo from Chinsali town by road, a jagged voyage taking more than an hour while the return trip using a chopper took about 15 minutes!
It is common knowledge and in public domain that some civil servants have become comfy, through their misplaced and mediocre agenda, to frustrate the PF government’s development plans.
This also raises another issue of change work culture among employees in various ministries and government departments. Otherwise, as President Lungu assures, those that frustrate Government’s development projects will be showed the open exit door because Zambians are not interested in apologies.
Some civil servants in government ministries have become too cozy and are frustrating government’s development programmes.
During his recent findings, President Lungu now suspects sabotage over the inertia to implement capital projects in Muchinga Province and called for an emergency meeting over the matter at State House.
Provincial leadership, which he said has disappointed him, as well as the ministries of Finance and Infrastructure Development, havebeen summoned to do a bit of explanation also on how to streamline the funding of the projects.
However, the President is happy with the ongoing construction projects of the Mafinga District and Muyombe hospitals in Muchinga Province.
But again, the Muchinga Province leadership had been put on spotlight after the President warned that he would part company with them if they did not pull up their socks.
Muchinga Province Minister Malozo Sichone and Shiwang’andu Member of Parliament Stephen Kampyongo evoked the wrath of the President who demanded an explanation on why works of the Matumbo police post and Matumbo Secondary School were not progressing since his last visit to Shiwang’andu about 10 months ago.
In defence, Mr Kampyongo and Mr Sichone mainly attributed the sluggish pace at which the Government projects were moving to the bureaucracy involved in accessing funds, thus were in support of the decentralisation of activities.
Bureaucracy in the civil service should end forthwith if development was to be attained because it only defeats the fulfillment of promises made by the ruling party to deliver on people’s expectations.
It will be a tragedy if ministers fail in their duties to monitor development projects on behalf of the President because this will offer a suicidal precedence to implementing agents at Government department and local Government level!
It all explains the important of reforming the civil service as a deliberate action to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, professionalism, representativity and democratic character of a civil service, with a view to promoting better delivery of public goods and services — invariably improving accountability to Government actions directed to address public concerns.
The success of any civil service — Government agent — reforms rest on, among others, the political will and commitment for its crucial success to make democratic sense, which President Lungu is religiously promoting and that all those frustrating sustained national development processes should face the BOOT! . – The author is Copperbelt Patriotic Front chairperson for information and media committee.