Municipal finance in focus at Commonwealth workshop

Some 30 government officials from 18 Commonwealth countries attended a recent workshop in the UK aimed at strengthening the capabilities of staff involved with finance and municipal budgeting. They were able to learn about best practices and to share views on ways to improve administrative processes to enhance public services.

Funded by the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation, the workshop was conducted at the University of Birmingham's School of Public Policy from 27 November to 1 December 2006.

Mike Chisoni Kachere of Malawi's Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development said this workshop was very beneficial to him. "The sharing of experiences from different countries revealed a lot of similarities that exist regarding the problems of revenue mobilisation and management, which was useful."

Richard Gold, Interim Director of the Commonwealth Secretariat's Governance and Institutional Development Division (GIDD), which managed the workshop, pointed out that: "A critical determinant of the effective performance of sub-national and local governments is finance -- their ability to mobilise financial resources and to use them effectively and efficiently.

"Hence, there is an increased responsibility on Commonwealth sub-national and local governments for the delivery of public services and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals."

GIDD Programme Adviser Dr Munawwar Alam added that the programme would assist member governments in better incorporating local governments -- which are closer to ordinary citizens -- into the governance process.

"Financing of municipal infrastructure and service delivery is critical to quality of life issues. Citizens expect their local governments to give voice to their concerns on the national stage too," said Dr Alam.

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Related News:

• University of Birmingham School of Public Policy