Promote participants learn programme budgeting

The Ministry of Finance held a workshop on December 8 to throw light on its workings.

The notion of results-based management which government fully embraced in 2013 with the three-year Programme Budget has been explained to actors of the private sector taking part at Promote 2014.

One of the day-three activities of the ongoing business show at the Yaounde Conference Centre on December 8 focused on the mechanisms of programme budgeting.

In a debate moderated by Viviane Ondoua Biwole of the Higher Institute for Public Management and animated by Cyrille Edou Alo’o, Head of Division for Budgetary Reforms in the Ministry of Finance, the yesterday’s session focused on, “Programme budget: An instrument for the promotion of efficiency of State interventions in the socio-economic development of the country.”

In his presentation, Mr Edou Alo’o noted that modern budgeting needs to be in line with government’s needs and ability to raise funds needed to meet set targets. Reason why government, he added, embraced programme budgeting coupled with the Growth and Employment Strategy Paper with focus on infrastructure development. Programme budgeting, the Head of Division reminded the participants, requires identifying projects susceptible to changing the lives of citizens and spearheading development.

The fact that it runs for three years, he observed, saves government and the population alike from the hazards of abandoned projects. “With it, we can also better manage the treasury and it makes secured the business environment,” he explained. The promote participants who turned up for the debate were told that the notion of programme budgeting helps government to come up with strategies, choose objectives and define the target beneficiaries.

“Target is not only to conceive programmes but also to ensure their efficient execution as well. Programme budgeting guarantees the sustainability of projects and puts in place a platform for dialogue. Its success reposes on each and everyone especially the private sector, government’s privileged development partner,” Mr Edou Alo’o told the audience.