WASHINGTON, March 24, 2016 — The World Bank Group Board of Executive Directors today approved US$10 million in new finance to support the Government of Lesotho’s efforts to improve the quality and delivery of services and boost poverty reduction through a project that is aimed at modernizing the public sector.
The Lesotho Public Sector Modernization Project will be financed over the next four years to 2020. It is intended to help Lesotho strengthen its public administration, improve efficiency in resource management systems and increase its capacities for service delivery which will help improve the country’s poverty reduction efforts in line with the World Bank Group’s twin goals to end poverty and boost shared prosperity by 2030.
“The support by the World Bank Group will go a long way towards aiding us to provide for more effective and equitable distribution of public resources and to address challenges in the delivery of quality public services in critical sectors such as health and education particularly for the people in a vulnerable condition. The project is particularly expected to contribute to regaining control over the public spending and civil service, in a macroeconomic situation that is challenging, says Lesotho Minister of Finance, Dr. Mamphono Khaketla.
The WBG support will be delivered in a form of a combination advisory services, analytical studies and hands-on technical assistance in three cross-cutting areas. These are strategic national development planning and fiscal management, the improvement of human resources management to enhance performance of civil service for better service delivery as well as the improvement of statistical capacity in order to produce timely and reliable economic, social and poverty data.
“Strengthening the linkage between policy priorities and government spending patterns is paramount to delivering better public services and development. We hope by improving fiscal management and performance of public service, the Government of Lesotho will deliver quality services and improve the lives its people” says Guang Zhe Chen, World Bank Country Director for Lesotho.
Improvement in public resources management will help create fiscal space, and allow more effective use of financial and human resources for the poor and vulnerable people who need most assistance. Furthermore, solid socio-economic data is also expected to enhance the effectiveness of government’s decision making, and ensure improved monitoring of development outcomes.
The support will also have particular focus on strengthening human resource management which will include establishing a new Human Resource Information System as well as the Biometric Census for civil servants to improve the credibility of the government’s human resources records and introduction of performance-based management for better service delivery.
