What are DDAs?

In Papua New Guinea (PNG), decentralised development is a key strategy for achieving meaningful progress at the grassroots level. At the heart of this approach are District Development Authorities (DDAs), statutory bodies established by Parliament to coordinate service delivery and development across districts. DDAs operate as legal entities mandated to oversee planning, resource allocation and implementation of development programs that directly affect local communities.

District Development Authorities were created under the District Development Authority Act 2014 to replace the earlier Joint District Planning and Budget Priorities Committees and are responsible for a broad set of functions aimed at strengthening local governance and service delivery. According to government documents and planning reports, DDAs are tasked with performing service delivery functions determined by ministerial directives, building and maintaining district infrastructure such as roads and bridges, approving and controlling the disbursement of district support grants, and coordinating overall district planning, including budget priorities for Local Level Governments (LLGs). They also play a role in overseeing and making recommendations on planning to both provincial and national governments, and in determining budget allocations within their districts. Each DDA is governed by a board that includes elected local leaders and is chaired by the open-electorate Member of Parliament, with the District Administrator acting as the Chief Executive Officer.

In practice, DDAs manage significant funds such as the District Service Improvement Program (DSIP) allocations, which are intended to support infrastructure, health, education, law and economic services. They are expected to develop rolling five-year plans to guide development priorities and to report annually on expenditure and accomplishments. 

By decentralising planning and empowering district-level decision-making, DDAs are meant to bring government closer to the people, improve accountability and ensure that services align with local needs. Strengthening their capacity and transparency remains a critical challenge for enhancing development outcomes nationwide. 

The question facing citizens and policymakers alike is this: are DDAs fulfilling their promise of grassroots development, or does the system need reform to better serve local communities?