Government to introduce system for NGOs to avail reports

The Health Ministry Permanent Secretary, John Jingu

What you need to know:

  • The government is set to establish an online system for Non-Governmental Organizations to pay fees, a move which aims at reducing bureaucracy.

Mbeya. The government says it plans to introduce an online system that will help Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to hand in their reports or pay fees at the head office without being forced to travel and incur unnecessary costs.

The Health Ministry Permanent Secretary, John Jingu, made the comments yesterday in his meeting with leaders from different non-governmental organisations in Mbeya Region.

Jingu said the move aims at minimizing inconveniences to NGOs so that they could easily hand in their reports on work performance, earnings and expenditure and paying fees through a digital network system.

The permanent secretary wanted the NGOs to ensure they worked responsibly and in transparency so that they could be trusted by society they served, the government and donors as well.

He put it that the areas every NGO was supposed to work in transiency and responsibly included their sources of income and expenditure, contracts with donors

He also wanted the organisations to ensure they abided by the country’s new regulations and discharged their duties in accordance with their institutions.

The Registrar General of the NGOs, Neema Mwanga, said the NGOs were welcomed to give their views and being listed to over the new regulations announced this year, explaining that the regulations were introduced for them.

NGOs Deputy Registrar General Baraka Leonard said there had been complaints against the ministry, compelling members of the public to have no faith in it. However, Leonard said the new regulations on the new regulations and accountability would help restore faith in the members of the public.

For his part, the Aman Foundation of Life (AFL) Secretary in Mbeya Region, Philemon Mwansasu, asked the ministry to help them address different challenges including obtaining copies of the regulations instead of posting them on the ministry’s website, saying not all could have access to the regulations on the Internet.