Cameroon tests user-friendly Public Financial Management toolkit

Cameroon has successfully tested interactive software developed by the Commonwealth Secretariat and designed to strengthen financial reform in the public sector.

The pilot project used financial data from nine provinces in Cameroon and a feasibility assessment is being delivered to Commonwealth finance ministers at their annual meeting in Guyana from 15 to 17 October 2007.

The software -- known as ‘Commonwealth Public Financial Management-SAT’ or CPFM-SAT -- is a toolkit for developing countries to promote effective management and innovation in the public sector, according to Kaifala Marah, Public Expenditure Adviser at the Secretariat.

The programme was a collaborative project between more than 100 technical experts from 40 Commonwealth member countries and Secretariat officials.

It is effectively a checklist to indicate how much progress has been made and what ought to be done to strengthen the process of public sector financial reform. “It will assist governments capitalise on their strengths and work on their weaknesses,” said Mr Marah.

It is hoped that the software will enhance knowledge of public expenditure management, leverage innovation through assessing reforms, adopt new ideas and skills, and integrate contemporary financial management approaches into relevant budgeting, monitoring and control schemes.

Jacqueline Wilson, Director of the Secretariat’s Governance and Institutional Development Division, which developed the software, explained that it will assist governments to nurture a culture of self-assessment, independent of external players, and to develop a strong sense of ownership on public sector reform.

Rose Tanyi, Technical Adviser to Cameroon’s Minister of Finance, said they found the toolkit practical to use. “It embraces the generally accepted principles of efficient and modern public financial management. It facilitates the work of any structure that would like to undertake a performance evaluation by clearly outlining the activities to look out for.”

Public financial management was a key mandate at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, in 2003.

Key Links:

• Governance
• Country Profile: Cameroon