Nmjd, Dfid Organize Budget Advocacy Workshop

NMJD, DFID Organize Budget Advocacy Workshop

The Deputy Minister of Finance, Mr. Foday B.L. Mansaray, has assured participants at a four-day budget analysis and advocacy training workshop for civil society organisations in Sierra Leone that the government is very much committed to sound public expenditure management as evidenced by its emphasis on participation, accountability and transparency. The workshop, which drew participants from all regions of the country, was held at Mamba Point Guest House at Wilberforce from September 14-18, 2003.

Organized by the Network Movement for Justice and Development (NMJD) and funded by the UK’s department for International Development (DFID), the workshop aimed at building and enhancing the capacity of civil society organisations for effective engagement with government on development and governance issues like the national budget and the Poverty Reduction Strategy process in Sierra Leone. This is to ensure that civil society participation and involvement in the country’s post-war recovery and development is maximized.

Minister Mansaray reiterated the difficulty involved in budget preparation, especially for countries like Sierra Leone where there are Limited resources to finance numerous and diverse activities. He said it is against this background that the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) which aims at encouraging line ministries to prioritize their activities over a number of years within the given resource envelope was introduced.

He further noted that in order to promote transparency and participation, government has in the past two years been creating room for communities and civil society to take part in the budget process through the annual budget discussions sessions and the budget oversight committees.

Earlier in his welcome address, the National Coordinator of Network Movement for Justice and Development, Mr. Abu A. Brima said that the four days scheduled for the workshop may not be enough but it is the beginning of a long road, and hoped that it will wet the appetite of the civil society. He noted that the exercise is not only momentous for the civil society, but also for the donors who have be pouring money into the country but with very little to show for it.

He challenged participants to continue to work relentlessly to have a budget that is developed, implemented and monitored by the people a budget that will impact positively on the lives of the people.

Statements were also made by Mr. Sam Musa of Action Aid Sierra Leone and DFID representative. Mr. Melvin Tucker, Deputy Governor of the Bank of Sierra Leone chaired the ceremony

Among topics discussed at the workshop were the following: Revenue expenditure and deficit, the stages of the budget process, principles of good budgeting, the objectives of public expenditure management, overview of civil society budget work, getting started with budget work, engaging with policy makers, linking the PRPS and the budget, the techniques of quantitative budget analysis.