Performance contracts must deliver real results - Mohwasa
Minister for State President Moeti Mohwasa has urged African leaders and delegates at the High Level Workshop on Enhancing Public Accountability and Service Delivery through Performance Contracts to confront the continent’s governance record and ask what has truly changed, despite decades of ambition.
Mohwasa cautioned against reducing performance contracts to paperwork and technicalities.
“We speak about targets, indicators, reviews and reporting. These are important. But behind all of these systems is a much more fundamental question: Can the African State translate its promises into results that citizens can see and feel?” he asked.
He stressed that citizens do not experience government through strategic plans but through everyday encounters with public services.
“A citizen experiences government when they go to a hospital and need medicine, when they send a child to school and expect quality education, when they apply for a service and expect fairness and timeliness. In those everyday encounters lies the real meaning of public service,” Mohwasa said.
Mohwasa argued that accountability must move beyond reporting activities to demonstrating outcomes. “For too long, we have been comfortable measuring meetings held, programmes launched, activities completed and budgets spent. These tell us what happened. They do not necessarily tell us what changed. Our citizens are asking a much simpler and more important question: What changed?”
He said performance contracts should be seen as tools to enforce discipline in leadership and delivery. “A performance contract is not an end in itself, nor is it a magic solution. Its value lies in the discipline it can bring. It clarifies expectations, establishes responsibility, provides a basis for measuring progress and creates an opportunity to intervene when delivery falls behind,” he explained.
He continued that performance contracts must be treated as living management systems, not documents signed and forgotten.
“Targets must be meaningful. Information must be reliable. Performance must be discussed honestly and regularly. Where institutions face genuine constraints, those constraints must be addressed. Where performance is consistently below expectation, leadership must be prepared to act,” he said.
He added that accountability should not be confused with punishment.
“A strong performance system should help institutions succeed before it becomes necessary to sanction failure. It should create clarity, encourage improvement and allow leaders to identify problems early. Where good performance is achieved, it should be recognised. Where persistent underperformance remains, it should be addressed fairly and decisively.”
Mohwasa noted that Botswana’s upcoming 60th independence anniversary on 30 September 2026 is both a moment of celebration and reflection.
“Our six decades of independence have demonstrated the value of strong institutions, prudent management of national resources, political stability and a professional public service. These are achievements of which we can rightly be proud. But milestones are not only moments for celebration. They are also moments for reflection,” he said.
He warned that citizens now expect faster, more transparent, and more responsive services.
“History cannot be our destination. The Botswana that approaches its seventh decade will not have the same expectations as the Botswana of our first decades. Our citizens expect services that work, resources used responsibly, and government that delivers.”
Mohwasa concluded by stressing that accountability must begin at the top.
“Every leader entrusted with public resources and authority should be prepared to answer three fundamental questions: What were you expected to deliver? What did you deliver? And what difference did it make?”