Aid funds spread too thinly, says Abel

 By ELIZABETH MIAE

THE use of technical assistance (TA) and foreign consultants has consumed a lot of from the aid budget, says National Planning and Monitoring Minister, Charles Abel.

The minister made the comment while addressing the heads of donor agencies and government departments at a technical team meeting on development effectiveness in Port Moresby. 

Abel said PNG received a substantial amount of aid funds on an annual basis but there was little impact on the ground.

“This has led to general dissatisfaction and triggered heated debates in parliament and elsewhere that appropriate measures should be taken to improve on the aid delivery methods,” he said.

He said the government’s medium-term approach to addressing this situation was to cut down on the use of TAs and instead redirect the funds to financing initiatives that would result in tangible outcomes.

“In fact, the government would like to see redirection of those resources to fill the skills gap,” he said 

“One way to do that would be to strengthen the capacities of the universities such as through provision of new library books, personnel to teach post graduate and research degree programmes.”

The minister also highlighted the need for the establishment of an aid policy framework that would better inform and guide the government’s partners.

“Aid funds continue to be thinly spread, technical assistance focused, duplicated across other aid and government programmes and uncoordinated among different donors.”