Mbabane – Government’s overall performance stood at 48 per cent in the 2025/26 financial y ear, but the figure masks a wide gap between the country’s best and weakest-performing ministries and departments, with only four entities scoring above 55 per cent.
His Majesty’s Correctional Services (HMCS) recorded the highest performance at 75 per cent, followed by the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs at 60 per cent, Ministry of Health at 58 per cent and the Prime Minister’s Office at 56 per cent.
The remaining 12 ministries and departments scored 48 per cent or less, according to the Government Annual Performance Report.
Several government entities fell below 40 per cent, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Ministry of Information, Communications and Technology, Ministry of Labour and Social Security and Revenue, Enforcement and Protection Services.
The report, however, cautions that the 75 per cent achieved by HMCS should not be interpreted in the same way as the performance of lead ministries.
HMCS is primarily a supporting department and is responsible for fewer core Programme of Action outputs. Its high score may therefore present a different picture from that of ministries carrying broader and more complex national responsibilities.
In contrast, the Ministry of Health and the Prime Minister’s Office are identified as lead entities with core and high-complexity mandates, yet both managed to perform above the government average.
The Ministry of Health recorded 58 per cent, while the Prime Minister’s Office achieved 56 per cent.
The figures therefore show that high performance was concentrated among a small number of entities, while most ministries remained at or below the national average.
The report says this uneven performance means that the overall implementation of the Programme of Action remains affected by weaker results among lead implementation ministries.
The 48 per cent average was therefore not driven by a broad improvement across all ministries, but reflected significant differences in how individual entities performed during the financial year.
The assessment provides the government with a clear contrast between entities recording relatively high completion of their planned outputs and those struggling to deliver against their targets.
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