By: Kebba A.F.Touray
National Assembly Members of the Finance and Public Account Committee (FPAC) and the Public Enterprises Committee (PEC), are currently undergoing a weeks’ training on public finance scrutiny.
The training aims to enhance the performance of the lawmakers on their oversight mandate in financial scrutiny in order to help them keep pace with budget and accounting reforms.
The Clerk of the National Assembly Momodou A. Sise, said the training is an indication of the need to continuously enhance the performance of Lawmakers in their mandate on financial scrutiny, so as to keep pace with budget accounting reforms.
“It aims to improve the capacity of Lawmakers to monitor budget implementation and financial development in the country,” he said.
Sise said in this kind of event, it is important that the legislative arm reminds itself that globally, parliamentary scrutiny of public spending is a vital component and mechanism that will help improve the institution of democracy. He said it can further entrench a democratic system and culture; that as the world faces untold economic shocks and contractions brought about by the pandemic, it is more significant today than ever to ensure that public funds are spent wisely and with optimum priority.
“In this regard, the role of the National Assembly can never be overstated. Effective financial scrutiny by the National Assembly ensures that Governments and other providers of public services are held to account for their actions, as well as their fiscal policy decisions,” he said.
Clerk Sise said proactive legislative oversight of public financial management has high operational relevance to the overall attainment of desirable, equitable and quality outcomes of Government policy and programs.
“It equally improves the allocation of resources and at the same time, ensures optimum transparency and accountability in the use of those resources,” he said.
Clerk Sise thanked their donors for their undiluted commitment to ensuring that the skills of Lawmakers are enhanced; that the aforesaid Committees are pivotal engine rooms of the legislature that facilitates, expands and enriches the space of financial debate and scrutiny for other Committees, as well as the plenary.
