FOURTH ANNUAL COLLABORATIVE AFRICA BUDGET REFORM (CABRI) SEMINAR OPENS

The fourth annual CABRI Seminar opened today in Accra with a call on budget directors to be diligent in the allocation of resources since the budget document is the single most important management tool for government to implement its policies and programmes.

Hon. Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, who made to call also asked them to be serious with the budget reform programme.

He enumerated some challenges faced by African countries including the high donor component, the low revenue base and the performance of the economies of the developed countries which have a telling effect on the management of their budgets.

“As Directors of Budgets of African countries the efficient allocation of resources to meet competing demands of our teaming population to better their lots is a daunting task that must be confronted head on”.

He commended CABRI for organizing the seminar to give African budget directors to brainstorm on the reforms that are taking place in their countries.

CABRI is a pan-African professional network of senior budget officials in ministries of finance and planning. Over the last decade and a half, many CABRI members have put significant effort into reforming their budget structure, processes and institutions in order to introduce a medium term perspective.

Despite these system changes countries still report that the emphasis in budgeting continues to be annual, medium term budget frameworks prove not to be credible too often and that the quality of the forward expenditure and revenue estimates remains weak.

The fourth annual CABRI seminar is expected to provide the intellectual space for countries to consider the policy questions that require a medium-term perspective. Participants are expected at the end of the seminar to better understand and address country-specific complexities of moving from an annual to a multi-year budget process.

The three day seminar is being attended by about 75 delegates from 29 African countries and from Europe.
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