Seven Cooperating Partners today committed a total of US$74 million towards the Public Expenditure Management and Financial Accounting-PEMFA programme for over a period of 2005-2009.
The eleven cooperating partners include the United Kingdom Department for International Development, the European Commission, Ireland, Denmark, Finland and Germany.
Others are Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the World Bank and the United States of America Development Programme.
The Africa Development Bank and the USAID also joined the list of cooperating partners’ signatories to the Memorandum of Understanding-MOU indicating their confidence in the programme.
The Cooperating partners support to PEMFA is regulated by a MOU first signed in December last year with the government of Zambia and which sets out the obligations of both parties.
Speaking in Lusaka when the 14 Cooperating partners signed the revised MOU, Finance Minister Ngandu Magande said the signing of the MOU consolidates government’s continued commitment in ensuring that the reforms are brought to fruition.
Mr. Magande said government remains committed to continue with the reform under PEMFA in order to develop an efficient and effective Public Financial Management system.
He explained that the signing of the MOU has been necessitated by the coming on board of USAID and the African Development Bank saying it has also been necessitated by the need to address the evolving changes of the efforts that were initiated by the government in 2005.
The Finance Minister who outlined a number of achievements made so far under PEMFA said government has further instituted legal reforms to support the on-going Public Financial Management reforms saying it was government’s intention to table the Public Procurement Bill and the Accountants Bill during the next sitting of parliament.
Mr. Magande noted that though there has been progress made in the Public Financial Management reforms, there is still a lot of work to be done.
He pointed out that there is need to consider whether the 2005-2009 programme lifespan is sufficient to adequately achieve the PEMFA programme targets and objectives.
And European Commission-EU Head of Delegation Derek Fee commended the Zambian government for visibly accelerating the pace of the Public Expenditure reforms.
Dr. Fee said PEMFA is central to Zambia as a whole as it deals with the most precious part of all the public resources.
He said PEMFA cooperating partners would like to reiterate their continued support to the Public Finance Management agenda reform.
Dr. Fee however said the cooperating partners were looking forward to the approval of the new procurement bill.
The EU Head of Delegation noted that Public Expenditure Reforms need real change in the public financial culture saying it further needs continuous guidance and stimulus from the political and senior management levels.
PEMFA programme is one of the three pillars of the government of Zambia public service reform programme which seeks to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and accountability in the management and utilization of public funds to support the implementation of the country’s Fifth National Development Plan.
ENDS/CBM/AM/ZANIS
I hope this is not a loan, because this is the same as the World Bank Public Sector Reform Programme (PSRP) which was nothing but a waste of money. Magande explain to us what you hope to achieve with this PEMFA instead of wasting our time.
#1 I agree with you, magande needs to explain these new loans he is getting the country into. This is the reason I don’t understand people who want this guy to be President because it is very clear that if he got into plot 1, he would first sell plot 1 itself then sell the entire country through loans from the IMF/WB. Magande is a traitor.
Perharps you meant to say/type poverty reduction strategy program (PRSP).
It’s inline with the old adge saying that to get rich one needs credit.
PEMFA is World Bank initiative aimed at improving the public expenditure framework and accounting for resources in developing countries. Along with other initiatives, it is implemented in various countries such as Malawi, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Jamaica etc. The countries mentioned above have diverse characteristics and any solutions to problems they face must be appropriate to their unique needs. I find it quite disturbing that the World Bank sees it fit to adopt a ‘one size fits all’ policy for developing countries. Why aren’t we bold enough to come up with solutions to their our own problems? Its probably true that: he who pays the piper calls the tune!
#1&4, well said my country men.
Moreover, I tho’t we already have people employed to manage public expenditure and perform the financial accounting therein. Doesn’t this fall under specific departments in the Ministry of Finance, BOZ and the Auditor General office. Why should external partners be in the forefront of telling us how to manage our assets and resources? …wait a minute, it’s their money…since we beg from them and get given…they want to have a system that makes sure we use the money as claimed in the begging process.
Magande has outlived his usefulness. This chap forced us to tighten our belts in order to achieve HIPC completion point of which we did. Before our belts could be loosened in older to enjoy the effects of HIPC completion, this Magande has continued borrowing, you may wonder were all the HIPC savings have gone. I agree with #2, this guy has actually run out of ideas he should be gotten rid of before he auctions the country