Building Public Finance Capabilities Programme in Africa

The BPFC is a 12-month action-learning programme aimed at building local capabilities to solve local public finance problems. It puts teams of government practitioners at the centre of public financial management (PFM) reforms, through an approach that drives incremental change and facilitates the emergence of local solutions to complex public finance problems.

Theme

• Building Public Finance Capabilities

Approach

• The BPFC programme applies the PDIA approach, which is based on the following principles:
  • Scaling through diffusion
    • Stakeholders across sectors and organisations need to be engaged to ensure reforms are viable, legitimate a
  • Positive deviance
    • The emergence of appropriate local solutions requires creating environments across organisations that encourage experimentation and positive deviance.
  • Experimentation, learning and adaptation
    • Reforms require constantly reviewing what works and what doesn’t, adapting and iterating as new learnings are uncovered.
  • Local ownership of reforms
    • Government officials are best placed to undertake reforms as they understand their local context and can mobilise support.
  • Local solutions for local problems
    • Locally nominated problems draw attention to the need for change and facilitate the development of context-appropriate reforms.

Problem Areas

• Debt, Cash and Liquidity Management
  • Countries around the world are facing unprecedented fiscal pressures. The effective management of debt and cash is critical to ensure governments can meet their extended debt obligations and deal with heightened volatility in their revenue and expenditure
  • Target Audience: Ministries of finance (treasury, debt offices, budget office, etc)
• Capital Spending and Public Investment Management
  • Many countries in Africa suffer from high infrastructure deficits. The capabilities to effectively and efficiently execute capital spending projects are key to achieving sustainable economic growth and improving infrastructure outcomes in the long run.
  • Target Audience: Ministries of finance, planning, public works, other sector ministries

Structure of the Programme

• The BPFC is structured to facilitate officials’ practical and experimental learning to solve complex public finance problems. Throughout the programme, a dedicated CABRI coach provides support and expertise to the team.
  • Application process (5 weeks): Officials from finance and sector ministries in countries in Africa are invited to apply to the programme by identifying a pressing country-specific public finance problem and a local team that will work on solving the problem
  • Online course (5 weeks): The online training course introduces teams to the PDIA approach using BPFC video lectures, readings, assignments, reflection exercises and peer interactions.
  • Framing Workshop (4 days): Teams come together at the BPFC framing workshop, through a team effort, to: (i) frame the public finance problem; (ii) identify its causes and sub-causes and (iii) identify entry points and immediate steps that they will take to start solving the problem.
  • Action-learning period (about 40 weeks): Country teams engage in regular learning iterations focused on practically solving the problem. This includes: (i) gathering and analysing data; (ii) consulting key stakeholders to gain new perspectives on the problem and political and administrative support for the team’s work and (iii) holding regular team meetings to share progress, challenges, insights, clarify objectives and agree on next steps.
  • Review Workshop (2-3 days): Throughout the programme, teams attend two Review Workshops to share progress, new learnings, relevant case studies and determine objectives and steps. At the end of the programme, participants receive a certificate of completion and remain connected to the network of BPFC fellows.
  • Continuing engagement: After the programme completion, teams continue working towards solving their public finance problems and determine the extent of further CABRI support going forward.

Criteria

• The BPFC programme is designed for public officials who are committed to driving change within their ministries and beyond.
• Countries join the programme by:
  • Completing the BPFC application form, signed by an authoriser (a Minister(s) or Permanent Secretary)
  • Nominating a pressing public finance problem that requires action
  • Nominating a team of six officials to tackle the problem
• The country-team of six public officials:
  • Have current knowledge and expertise about the problem and can contribute to its resolution.
  • Are from government functions relevant to the problem (in the ministry of finance and/or a sector ministry or government agency).
  • Can dedicate an average of five hours a week to the programme, throughout the 12months.

For more information, visit CABRI.