Photo: Secretary Dr. Nelson Simbiken
The Department of Agriculture and Livestock (DAL) is set to launch its 2023-2027 corporate plan this month, according to acting Secretary Dr. Nelson Simbiken. This plan will aim to drive the sector forward and for the first time, DAL is also upgrading its information and communication technology (ICT) systems.
Dr. Simbiken stated, "For so many years, DAL did not have an ICT infrastructure. The only one we had was the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) supporting us, and they only came in as consultants. As a result, DAL was not connected through ICT to the regional offices." However, things are changing. "Since I came on board in May 2022, we have set up an ICT system in the department. We contracted Telikom to do a complete audit of the department's ICT system and now DAL has a modern ICT system that will connect to the provinces," he said.
The department is also digitizing its finances and will eventually move to a cloud-based system. Dr. Simbiken highlighted that this is a significant achievement for DAL as it has never been done before.
The corporate plan also aims to 'right-size' the sector and cut excess expenditure. DAL will establish an internal committee to review every expenditure in the agriculture sector to ensure that funding is being used to deliver services to the people and improve compliance and governance. Dr. Simbiken emphasized that this is the first time DAL is taking such initiative and it is key to making DAL accountable for all its funding.
In conclusion, Dr. Simbiken stated that agriculture will be the driver for economic independence for the government's vision.
