Budget experts to meet in Kenya to discuss post Covid-19 economic recovery
Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetang'ula at County Hall, Nairobi on October 18, 2022.
Parliamentary Budget Officers from 12 countries will meet in Mombasa for four days to discuss, among other things, the post-Covid-19 economic recovery of African economies.
The event, which runs from August 27 to September 1, brings together budget experts from 12 African countries under the banner of the African Network of Parliamentary Budget Offices (AN-PBO).
The countries include Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The debate comes when the global economy faces a complex set of challenges as countries try to rebuild and recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to a statement released by the Parliament, the conference will also address effective public debt management, balancing borrowing for growth and ensuring fiscal sustainability, financial health and resilience in uncertain times.
“Given that the knowledge of Members of the Legislatures varies across the world and that the PBOs have a crucial role to play in enhancing the fiscal oversight and technical capacity of legislative members in processes involving Budget or Money Bills,” reads the statement.
Fiscal policy
Budget officials will discuss how fiscal policy can respond to the economic vulnerabilities exposed by the crises, and the role of fiscal oversight in ensuring transparent and responsible financial management as the call for greater accountability and fiscal prudence continues.
Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetang’ula, will chair the conference, which will also engage civil society in national budget processes and their critical role in upholding democratic principles and promoting transparency, accountability, equitable allocation of public resources and trust in government processes.
The Clerk of the National Assembly, Samuel Njoroge, said the essence of such conferences is to deepen parliamentary democracy in fiscal and economic oversight and learn from other peers' experiences in Africa.
“Empowering the legislature through such forums and capacity exchanges for the various technical and advisory arms remains a top priority for our Parliament while building on past investment initiatives,” Mr Njoroge said.
There will also be a discussion on how countries can effectively and efficiently manage public debt and fiscal sustainability in times of uncertainty.
The AN-PBO is a platform for African Parliamentary Budget Offices and similar institutions to share ideas and experiences about strengthening support for parliamentary fiscal oversight.
