Creation of new provinces: But what for?

President Ghani not only betrayed his campaign promises but also mostly acted in contradiction to what he had pledged. One of the things on which President Ghani would emphasize a lot during electioneering was that he strongly opposed the formation of a coalition government that he would brand as “shareholding firm”. However, he effectively formed similar government with his rival by accepting the power-sharing deal that gave birth to the National Unity Government. Another point he would particularly insist on was the elimination of superfluous government structures, saying that some government institutions have created obstacles to good governance instead of helping to improve affairs, and therefore he would dissolve them. But not only did that not happen, some new institutions have also been established in his tenure.
With the presidential election approaching, President Ghani is seeking to increase the number of provinces by promoting some areas to provinces in a bid to drum up public support. The government is reportedly planning to create five new provinces, taking the total number of provinces from 34 to 39. The reports come as Afghan government is unable to provide necessary funds for its existing administrative units without the assistance of international community. It is right that the increase in number of administrative units may enhance access to services, but it is only possible when the existing government administrations are reformed and funding resources found for them through a proper mechanism before establishing new organs.
The president should not use the creation of new administrative units as a campaign trail. If President Ghani really wants to increase and improve access to government services for Afghan people, he has to first systematically overhaul the existing government institutions. If thoroughly reformed, the existing government institutions are able to improve their service delivery to people; the key is how to effectively and efficiently utilize and manage the resources available. If current government workforce and resources are managed by competent officials, many of the very problems in service delivery Afghan people are currently faced with will be tackled. Favoritism and discrimination in appointments and corruption have seriously affected the performance of government institutions, and reforms should start right from resolving those issues.