The Policy Unit provides strategic policy and planning support to the Prime Minister, administrative support to the Central Agencies Committee, National Recovery Committee and the Development Committee of Officials, policy advice and coordination to line ministries.

The Policy Analysts within the Policy Unit closely work with each Ministries to establish annual policy priorities which are then captured in the Budget Policy Statements each year. Its close collaboration with the government’s treasury department intends to guide and improve the budget process over time.

As an annual activity, policy analysts continue to ensure that all NPP initiatives developed within line ministries are effectively aligned to the NSDP before it is presented to the Ministerial Budget Committee (MBC). The team also plays a vital role in the preparation and submission of policy briefs to the Prime Minister.

Other duties performed by the policy unit in 2019 include undertaking strategies and/or policy stock take for all 13 ministries which is an on-going task. Aside from this, the preparation of assessments of alignments for each sector strategies and/ or policies with the NSDP have continuously engaged the policy analysts as new policies are developed.

The unit facilitated the development of the Aid Management policy that was launched in April 2019. Other national strategies that the unit undertook consultation for included the draft of the National Disaster Framework and the National Human Resource Development Plan (NHRDP) that was later launched in December this year. The policy unit staff had also convened 7 strategic planning workshops or summits throughout provincial headquarters to ensure alignment of the provincial business plans with the NSDP goals.

Part of the team’s core activities include representing DSPPAC in local, national, regional and international conferences and meetings. Such meetings allowed the policy analysts to present on NSDP and sector Policy related matters.