Projects > Brief descriptions > Collaborative Africa Budget Reform Initiative

Contact person

Mr Gerald Duda
Email: gerald.duda@giz.de

Promoting Good Financial Governance in Africa

Project description

Title: Collaborative Africa Budget Reform Initiative
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: Africa, transnational (located in South Africa)
Lead executing agency: South African National Treasury
Overall term: 2005 to 2012

Context

Good financial governance is an essential contributor to social and economic growth and is therefore a central component of public reform efforts. Many African countries recognise that improving financial governance strengthens government accountability, leads to improved service delivery outcomes and thereby contributes to development goals.

Against this backdrop, in 2004 budget officials in Mozambique, South Africa and Uganda started the Collaborative Africa Budget Reform Initiative (CABRI). A seminar on budget reform was organised where the key objective was to put forward a firm proposal for the establishment of a professional network that would support senior budget officials in Africa in the execution of their duties. Between 2004 and 2009, twenty-nine African countries became participating members of CABRI. The Collaborative Africa Budget Reform Initiative is now an independent international legal organisation where Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Rwanda, Senegal and South Africa are founding members and which other countries may formally join through accession.

In this network, budget directors work together on reforming public budgets and governmental financial management, so that, as a consequence, improved financial performance can foster the achievement of development goals.

CABRI’s key strategic objectives are to:

assist senior budget officials in the management and improvement of public finance systems and develop approaches, procedures and practices for public finance management
advance the development of member states by building capacity and promoting training and research
develop and promote common African positions on budgetary issues of interest to Africa

The network focuses on the exchange of know-ledge and experience on budgetary planning, implementation and monitoring, and on the configuration of budget reform processes.

Objective

The project aims at supporting the Collaborative Africa Budget Reform Initiative in establishing itself as a productive, relevant and responsive international organisation that promotes efficient and effective management of public finances.

Approach

GIZ views CABRI as a unique programme and supports its intention of becoming a fully fledged international organisation. GIZ’s (until December 2010 GTZ) support to CABRI was initiated in 2005. It centres on strengthening CABRI’s Secretariat, which acts as the engine room for planning, managing and the implementation of the work of the network. The main objectives of the Secretariat are to establish an internal structure for the CABRI network, to make expertise available on a long-term basis and to support capacity development of senior budget officials on aspects of public financial management and accountability in member countries.

The primary contributions of GIZ are the provision of technical assistance, short term consultancies, financial contributions and administrative support to CABRI meetings, events, studies and publications.

Since 2006, GIZ has provided the services of a long-term advisor and supported the thematic work of consultants at the CABRI Secretariat.

Results achieved so far

By setting up systems, rules and procedures for the management of the network, GIZ has consolidated the Secretariat’s institutional strength. GIZ has managed to sustainably strengthen the administrative and technical capabilities of the Secretariat and has supported the work of the management committee and management structures of the network.

GIZ has also supported the creation of a content management system where all relevant documentation is made easily available to the Secretariat and participating member states. The database component will eventually create a resource centre that will enhance the collection, sorting and dissemination of information relevant to the daily work of senior budget officers in Africa.

The members of the network engage on a more regular basis and are exposed to a deeper resource base supported by GIZ’s technical advice and funding. As a result, professional networking based on trust, respect and an understanding of different country systems and experiences is developing to form the basis of effective peer-learning exchanges.

The culmination of GIZ support provides CABRI with a solid foundation and the capacity to develop into a fully-functional international organisation. It is envisaged that CABRI will establish itself as a productive, relevant and responsive organisation in 2010.