In Ghana we led two projects and trained several practitioners. See below for country related content.
Projects
In April 2017, BSC began a two-year engagement with the Collaborative Africa Budget Reform Initiative (CABRI), an intergovernmental organization based in South Africa, to build capability for Public Financial Management (PFM) reform in Africa.
Teams from Central African Republic, Cote D’Ivoire, Ghana, Lesotho, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, and The Gambia participated in this program.
Building PFM Capabilities in Africa – 2018
The team from Ghana focused on:
Problem: Overspending by MDAs leading to budget overruns, which impedes service delivery.
What was done: The team’s fishbone diagram identified the main causes to the problem as ineffective cash management, arrears, poor revenue forecasting, poor planning and formulation, and poor budget execution. The team focused on two entry points (budget formulation and budget execution). They began to analyze data on expenditures of MDAs to determine which outturns exceeded their approved budgets. The team also met with several key stakeholders including budget officers from MDAs to discuss the problem.
What was learned: The team realized that the Ministry of Finance was also part of the problem as it controls the “below the line” expenditure items, from which reallocations are made to MDAs. In addition, the team realized that budget ceilings given to MDAs are mostly unrealistic. The team also stimulated awareness and discussion on overspending by MDAs, which culminated in the Chief Director issuing a circular for staff to come up with efficiency measures for the 2019 budget.
Project Photos
Building PFM Capabilities in Africa – 2017
The team from Ghana focused on:
Problem: Insufficient discretionary fiscal space associated with non-lodgement in gross of retained Internally Generated Funds.
What was done: The team developed and submitted a concept paper for the establishment of a common data platform. The team used the national budget process to sensitize MDAs on the relevant legal provisions. The team operationalized a mechanism for lodgment in gross of retained NTR/IGF receipts by MDAs.
What was learned: Ownership and a clear understanding of the problem. The importance of modification and adjustments.
Project Photos
Project-Related Posts
Building PFM Capabilities 2017 Cohort: Closing Workshop
Building PFM Capabilities – 2018 Cohort Framing Workshop
Getting things done: PFM Reform in Africa by Tim McNaught
Country-Related Alumni Podcast
Kwabena Boakye, Director for M&E at the Monitoring and Evaluation Secretariat Office of the President in Ghana, completed our HKS Executive Education program Implementing Public Policy in 2019.
