Government evaluates performance of public companies

The Ministry of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development has embarked on a national campaign to evaluate the performance of public establishments within its quest to measure strides of the December 26, 2007 Financial Regime reforming the budgetary system.

The ministry, since 2007, when the law on the results-based budget was promulgated was expected to evaluate the performance of public structures each year with the view of better planning and programming of the country’s yearly budget.

The operation to appraise the coherence of the budget of public establishments with the notion of results-based programme budget is therefore in its maiden edition.

A team from the Department of Economy and Programming of Public Investments in the Ministry of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development with the support of experts from the National Institute of Statistics and the Technical Commission for the Rehabilitation of Public and Para-public Enterprises has been charged with the exercise.

Correspondences were dispatched to companies on July 6, 2015 and the Minister of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi signed a press release on July 27, 2015 urging companies to remain flexible and in so doing support government in its desire to succeed in its reform implementation.

Information from the Directorate of Economy and Planning of Public Investment reveal that the exercise is in two forms. Forms are handed out to companies whereby the staff of the personnel departments involved list the number of indicators and the level to which they have been achieved. Other companies organise working sessions with the field teams whereby the same information is handed out.

The Ministry is working to evaluate the performance of 2013 and most especially, 2014 budgetary year of public companies with focus on better planning and budgeting for 2016. The operation is also geared at assessing the budgetary indicators of companies to see how far they have helped in attaining budgetary objectives.

Analysing the evolution of the indicators and the achievements thus far is also a guiding principle towards ensuring that budget execution is development-oriented. Data collected is expected to serve as a guiding annual document that will henceforth be produced.

Government says every structure that is run with public finances through subventions and budgetary allocation is predisposed to result-based management assessment contrary to the hitherto physico-financial control whereby stress was on the level of execution of budget and achievements without any impact to the livelihood of Cameroonians.

The new operation focuses on how important projects executed have had an impact on livelihood.