Should we not be having a serious conversation about the impact of electrifying our environment on the national power grid? The Barbados government has been championing the use of hybrid and electric vehicles, but has there been any careful analysis of the consequences, both now and in the future?
The blogmaster does not oppose the pursuit of clean energy options. What is missing, however, is evidence of rigorous analysis to show that headway is being made to reduce Barbados’ dependence on fossil fuels. We have become a nation of talkers. It was encouraging to read of government’s plans to “fundamentally transform the country by 2030” as published in today’s newspaper – see Nation article below. It is left to be seen – like the implementation of Integrity Legislation – the digitalising of the public service, parliamentary reform, implementation of a republic constitution if it will become a reality in our lifetime. We have built a reputation on growing an implementation deficit culture.
Overhaul
Restructuring process to transform country by 2030
GOVERNMENT HAS STARTED to restructure state institutions and processes, including its annual budget, in pursuit of a mission-based plan to “fundamentally transform the country by 2030”.
Two years after announcing her administration was pursuing six missions around sustainable development, citizen empowerment, food and water security, public health and safety, economic empowerment and digital transformation, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley said yesterday that a major retooling to achieve these goals had begun.
The authorities have in recent months established new governance structures, including Mission Boards and the Mission Barbados Control Centre, and developed a national “missions dashboard” to monitor progress.
Government is also “actively experimenting with aligning its annual budget process to the objectives set out in Mission Barbados”.
Performance indicators
This will involve “clearly linking the funding allocations of each ministry, department and agency to measurable performance indicators and long-term outcomes” to strengthen the connection between financial resources and policy objectives.
The effort is being undertaken in partnership with the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP), which is based in the United Kingdom. IIPP senior policy adviser Luca Kuehn von Burgsdorff was seconded to the Prime Minister’s Office from March to July to support on-the-groundimplementation.
“From the highest levels of Government providing political will to civil servants working diligently on the ground – and with our Social Partners and citizens rallying behind a shared purpose – Barbados is mobilising a whole-of-nation effort to transform our country,” Mottley said yesterday.
The Prime Minister was speaking as she and Professor Mariana Mazzucato, professor in the economics of innovation and public value at University College London, and founding director of UCL IIPP, released the report titled Implementing Mission Barbados: A Roadmap For State Transformation.
“This courage to break old moulds and govern with vision is not easy, but it is necessary. We believe it will provide valuable lessons to other countries on how to tackle global challenges through strategic, outcomes-oriented policies,” Mottley added.
Declaration
Mission Barbados was endorsed by the Social Partnership on May Day in 2023 when Government, labour and business representatives signed a declaration committing to pursue the six national missions.
The report, authored by Mottley and Mazzucato, stated that the joint work “has unearthed five areas that can help transform the country’s challenges into opportunities for investment, innovation and collaboration”.
“First, policy should be designed with a clear focus on achieving transformative outcomes rather than merely delivering short-term outputs.
“Second, the adoption of a wholeof- Government and whole-of-economy approach can improve the coordination between ministries and between the Social Partners working towards shared goals,” the publication outlined.
“Third, innovative financing mechanisms and reallocating national budgeting towards the six missions can help the Government align and get the most out of its available financing.
Enablers
“Fourth, strengthening public sector capabilities should remain a key area of focus with new institutions, skill-building initiatives and digital tools such as GovTech Barbados serving as enablers of the transformation agenda.”
For the fifth area, “monitoring and evaluation should be front and centre, providing frameworks for tracking progress and adapting policies based on real-time feedback”.
It was explained that the new Mission Boards, which help govern the missions, were designed with a commitment to partnership and participation.
The formal governance of Mission Barbados is led by four core players: the Prime Minister’s Office, the newly established National Strategic Council, the Office of the Head of Public Service, and the Mission Boards.
The Prime Minister’s Office “holds wide-ranging authority and oversees key portfolios such as Finance, Economic Affairs, Investment, National Security and Public Service Reform”, the report noted.
It added that the National Strategic Council “serves as the top-level policy body, chaired by the Prime Minister, and comprises the Deputy Prime Minister, Senior Ministers, head of the Public Service and directors general. It oversees the country’s six national missions through the leadership of the four Senior Ministers who sit on the Council”.
With the National Strategic Council now starting to function, Cabinet “was fulfilling hitherto its role in providing high-level oversight”.
On planned changes to the annual budgeting process, the report stated that in 2024, Government committed to aligning the annual budget with Mission Barbados.
“In principle, this means ministries are required to clarify how the activities outlined in their commitment for results are connected to one or more of the six missions. In practice, as with many governments undertaking similar transformations, this alignment represents a significant challenge,” Mottley and Mazzucato wrote.
Commitment
“Commitment for results adoption and oversight mechanisms are still developing and require further refinement. While recent budget proposals have highlighted Mission Barbados as a central framework, effectively embedding mission alignment into the technical budgeting process remains an ongoing exercise that will require sustained commitment and learning.”
The report added that achieving lasting change through Mission Barbados will require “sustained commitment, further development of institutional capabilities, an openness to adaptive learning, and consistent efforts to maintain trust and cooperation across the Social Partners and other members of society”. (SC)
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