A new report reveals a major transparency challenge in district governance, with the national average score for all 96 districts at just 18 out of 100.
The 2026 DDA Watch Report notes that despite significant annual funding allocated for district development, only 12 out of 96 districts have made their five-year development plans publicly available.
Without public plans, budgets and acquittals, it is difficult for communities to track how funds are used and whether projects align with local needs.
The report finds that institutional oversight has been limited in recent years, with very few audits and inspections conducted on service improvement funds. As a result, there is limited verified information on the status of many projects on the ground.
Regionally, transparency remains low across the country, with all regions averaging between 16 to 18. West New Britain at 35 and Western Province at 33 are the highest scoring, while Milne Bay at 5, East New Britain and Hela at 8 are the lowest.
The report also notes that media coverage does not always reflect document transparency, with public events sometimes taking the place of published statutory documents.
Citizens are being encouraged to visit the DDA Watch website to view scores and participate in social auditing, with 30 points of each score based on public satisfaction votes.
