Gov’t efficiency key to development, Holness tells Commonwealth leaders

PRIME Minister Dr Andrew Holness on Monday challenged governments to move beyond traditional thinking about development, arguing that the greatest obstacle is not a shortage of money but the failure of States and institutions to deliver efficiently. Speaking during a leadership conversation with his counterparts at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Antigua and Barbuda, Holness said governments must treat “efficiency as a resource”, becoming more agile and responsive as citizens demand faster, more effective public services. “The aim of the game now is delivery — how fast can governments deliver benefits to their electorate,” said Holness, who has repeatedly underscored the importance of greater efficiency in government operations and the need to cut bad bureaucracy.

He pointed to technology and artificial intelligence as tools to improve efficiency, while stressing the need to keep “equity and fairness front and centre in our minds. ” Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness meets Commonwealth Secretary General Shirley Botchwey on the opening day of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua. (Photo: Commonwealth Secretariat) Joining Holness in the leadership conversation looking at how the Commonwealth can be ready for the future were Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, and Samoa’s Deputy Prime Minister Mulipola Anarosa Ale-Molio’o. Kagame argued that “there are investments that have to be made for countries to develop, for young people to find jobs and get skills”, and challenged the perception that investment in developing countries carries greater risks than in the “global north”, arguing that risks exist everywhere and can be mitigated through cooperation and pooled resources. “I think the Commonwealth can be helpful in this,” he said.…