03 Jun 2013

Assistant Minister for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, Dr Gloria Somololekae has appealed to all sectors involved in rural development to work cohesively towards implementing rural development policies.

During a presentation at the Rural Development Council Pitso in Kang, Dr Somolekae said rural development cut across sectors hence there was no special executive agency or ministry that should be created to implement it.

She said the inter-sectoral nature of rural development, coordination and a well-organised linkage within all the involved stakeholders was critical for the successful implementation of government policies particularly in rural areas.

The assistant minister therefore encouraged members of the rural development council to coordinate rural development through harmonisation of sectoral policies of various stakeholders and carefully oversee the rural developments projects.

Rural Development Council, she said, served as government watchdog on rural development and should provide national forum for consultation and dialogue on rural development issues.

She stated that there had been an evolving focus on rural development over the past years from delivery of infrastructure and social services to empowering and uplifting the livelihoods of rural areas communities.

She said rural development was a multi-dimensional process which included, among others, provision of services, enhanced opportunities for income generation and local economic development, improved physical infrastructure and effective provision for the vulnerable.

The assistant minister further indicated that there was need for promotion of self-reliance and sustainable livelihoods as areas of emphasis for rural development. Moreover, Dr Somolekae said there was need to strengthen people’s participation towards their own developments which should be facilitated through the use of existing community development strategies.

She also raised a concern at the high rate of piloting projects with little roll-out, saying there seemed to be too much consultancy reports and less implementation and monitoring of policies.

She said the strive for excellent service delivery should continue since it would ensure that livelihoods improvement strategies were implemented with vigour. ENDS