DSIP reports to be digitalized

The Obura-Wanenara district of Eastern Highlands Province set a precedent in the country by submitting their financial reports in an electronic format to the Department of Implementation & Rural Development (DIRD) this week.

Local MP Mehrra Minne Kipefa while presenting the 2016 District Support Grants of K500, 000 compliance reports said the district had opted to take a new approach by way of furnishing their reports in the electronic format for distribution and swift appraisal.

Kepefa, who is also the Minister for Labour and Industrial Relations said standards for electronic recording, processing and distribution of financial and other business reports (digital reporting) is the way forward for easy accessibility of acquittal information for decision-making.

The reports were saved in a flash drives and CDs with a brief cover letter explaining what has been expedited.

“Bringing large quantity of documents containing acquittal reports would costs the district administration’s resources, time consuming and freight costs, we do away with this culture of handing over of bulk documents to responsible agency for vetting and appraisal,” he said.

There were high turnover of provinces, districts and LLGs bringing documents containing acquittal reports in bulk which costs resources and time consuming making difficult for DIRD officers to vet and appraise.

DIRD Acting Secretary Aihi Vaki said we are in a digital world, province and district should compile their acquittal reports in a digital format so that reports can be saved it in a flash drive, CDs, external hard disk or other mode of devices for presentation.

“The information is there, you don’t have to go through volumes of volumes of documents. It is waste of time going through large volumes of documents, by having this we can cut down the work load. We have to do away with the paper work thing of compiling reports,” Vaki stressed.

He said digital reporting would thus open up entirely new possibilities and also raises fundamental issues in relation to serving multiple stakeholders, meeting decision-making needs and achieving transparency.

The second term MP while presenting his report highlighted that Obura-Wanenara is one of the difficult district in EHP to administer.

“Two third of the electorate is covered by road link serving more than 89,000 populations while rests are inaccessible only serves by third level airplanes. Currently, we have existing 23 airstrips which is the highest in the country,” Mr. Kepefa said.

CAPTION: 
Obura- Wanenara MP and Minister for Labor and Industrial Mehrra Minne Kipefa presenting the CDs and flash drives containing acquittal reports in electronic formal to the DIRD Acting Secretary Aihi Vaki. 
Photo by SAMSON KENDEMAN of DIRD Public Relations and Media