Moves are being made to adopt a trend of using more local materials. This tactic comes as part of Government’s effort to emphasize cost-saving measures to reduce wasteful spending.
According to Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, a list of measures that will serve to promote more efficient utilization of the state resources will be circulated for adoption by the government ministries.
Harmon during this week’s post cabinet press briefing said although this was done, the “big ticket items” remain, the contracts which are awarded and the manner in which these contracts are supervised, and the items which are put into these contracts.
Moreover, Harmon has had cause to meet with the Permanent Secretaries of the various ministries to stress prudence in the way in which they go about tendering, contracting and supervising government jobs.
Minister Harmon said that he particularly stressed to the Permanent Secretaries, the importance of using local building materials.
Just last week, Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, made a statement about the cost involved in using pinewood doors imported into the country in the construction of government projects. Minister Harmon said that the government would be focusing more on local materials, not only because they are economical and readily available, but are also a means of promoting the development of the local industries that supply many of these materials.“By just changing a little bit on the way the government purchases things, would be a big help to some of our local farmers and local producers,” the minister noted. Particularly the Permanent Secretaries’ have also been advised to use lesser used species of wood to stimulate the forestry sector and economic activities for smaller loggers.“We do not all have to use greenheart, but there are several species of wood in this country that can do the same thing that greenheart could,” the minister noted.
The cost-saving measures are meant to ensure that the budget allocated to the respective ministries lasts longer and lessens the incidences of ministries having to return to the National Assembly for supplementary funding.