E-government and decentralization key to improved service delivery
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Top StoriesGovernment has said deliberate investments in e-government and decentralization are driving public service transformation and anchoring the Grow Zambia agenda. Speaking at the Association of Public Administration and Management conference, Secretary to the Cabinet Patrick…
Government has said deliberate investments in e-government and decentralization are driving public service transformation and anchoring the Grow Zambia agenda.
Speaking at the Association of Public Administration and Management conference, Secretary to the Cabinet Patrick Kangwa commended the Association for Public Administration of Zambia (APAZ) and partners for organizing the conference, saying it comes at a time when all institutions must align to the next phase of national development.
Mr Kangwa said the government has invested deliberately in e-government and service digitization, noting that citizens can now access several services online.
“Today, citizens can complete end-to-end processes for tax payments, road service licenses, land rates, and ground rent without unnecessary delays,” he said.
He cited the recent launch of the online passport application system by the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security and the planned roll-out of the digital national registration card, saying, “they are the result of deliberate planning and execution aimed at making public services faster, transparent, and accessible.”
Mr Kangwa said the second major milestone is the implementation of the decentralization policy, stating that, Decentralization sits at the heart of President Hakainde Hichilema’s development agenda, adding that devolving functions, resources and decision-making to local authorities is empowering communities to manage their own development.
He said the targets set by government are not theoretical, pointing to the transformation of the former Rocky Gardens in Lusaka West into one of Africa’s biggest industrial parks by the Wonderful Group conglomerate, which is now producing packaging materials and fertilizer, including a new urea plant commissioned by the President on October 16, creating over 6,000 jobs and projected to bring in US$5 billion by 2029.
“You must make sure the private sector feels the facilitation and enabling role that we play as public administration,” he said.
He urged public service workers to embrace changes in systems and structures, break down silos, and build institutions that deliver consistently for citizens.
Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development permanent secretary for administration Gabriel Pollen said its partnership with the Association for Public Administration of Zambia (APAZ) was born out of the passion for duty demonstrated by the association’s leadership.
Dr Pollen said when the APAZ team visited his Ministry, he saw an opportunity to champion a partnership that would reflect the practicality of the public sector for the development of the country, and worked with the office of the Secretary to the Cabinet to ensure the conference took place.
“Seeing public administrators and public administration enthusiasts in one room gives me hope about the future that it holds,” he said.
Dr Pollen expressed concern over the low response from local authorities, who are the main stakeholders of the conference, but said the inaugural conference will give special momentum going forward, and encouraged staff in the Ministry of Local Government and all local authorities to affiliate with professional associations such as APAZ because regardless of backgrounds, all are public administrators.
Association of Public Administrators of Zambia (APAZ) president Mudonda Sikawala said the organisation is focusing on transforming into a professional association backed by an Act of Parliament to regulate thousands of practicing but unregulated administrators.
He said the association, formed by public administration enthusiasts in 2020, has grown to over 150 members across five provinces, adding that it needs the Secretary to Cabinet’s guidance and wisdom as its new patron to move to the next phase.
He said efforts are focused on transforming APAZ into a professional association backed by an act of parliament, in order to attain the same recognition already achieved by professions such as accountancy, lawyers and other professions.
Mr Sikawala assured the government of APAZ’s readiness to support the Grow Zambia agenda, recommending that the Ninth National Development Plan and the next five budget cycles be synced to the agenda for policy coherence and easy monitoring.
He announced that 14 individuals and organisations are being awarded this year, and thanked ZESCO and the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development for their support ahead of a bigger event in June 2027.
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