By Nelson Manneh
The Gambia Participates has on Wednesday, 26th June, 2024 released its 2023 open budget survey (OBS) report.
The Open Budget Survey (OBS) is the world’s only independent, comparative, and fact-based research instrument that uses internationally accepted criteria to assess public access to central government budget information; formal opportunities for the public to participate in the national budget process; and the role of budget oversight institutions, such as legislatures and supreme audit institutions, in the budget process.
Mr Marr Nyang, the Executive Director of Gambia Participates, said the OBS 2023 assesses fiscal activities undertaken and documents published through December 31, 2022 (Only documents published online by the government are considered “publicly available”)
According to Nyang, the survey is based on a questionnaire completed in each country by an independent budget expert, who will be reviewed by an independent reviewer and a government reviewer.
“There are 145 scored indicators: 18 indicators (for public participation), 18 indicators (for budget oversight), and 109 indicators (for budget transparency). Responses to all the indicators are backed by evidence,” he said.
The Executive Director of Gambia Participates added that when it comes to transparency the OBS measures public access to information on how the central government raises and spends public resources.
“It assesses the online availability, timeliness, and comprehensiveness of eight key budget documents using 109 equally weighted indicators and scores each country on a scale of 0 to 100. A transparency score of 61 or above indicates a country is likely publishing enough material to support informed public debate on the budget,” he noted.
Recommendations
Gambia Participates recommended the publication of a Pre-Budget Statement online at least one month before the Executive’s Budget Proposal is submitted to the legislature for consideration, adding that publication of the Audit Report online on time and the Audit Report should be published within 18 months of the end of the fiscal year.
Gambia Participate further recommended the production and publication of the Mid-Year Review and Year-End Report online promptly. The Mid-Year Review should be published within three months of the mid-point of the fiscal year, while the Year-End Report should be published within 12 months of the end of the fiscal year.
Include in the Executive’s Budget Proposal data on the financial position of the government and information on performance and policy. This includes publishing information on extra-budgetary funds, tax expenditures, and alternative displays of expenditures (by gender, age, region). Additionally, the Executive’s Budget Proposal should include information on how new policy proposals affect expenditures, as well as information on the link between the budget and all of the government’s stated policy goals for the budget year and future years (for example, non-financial data on inputs, results, and targets)
Gambia Participates recommended that the legislature should debate budget policy before the Executive’s Budget Proposal is tabled and approve recommendations for the upcoming budget.
The Executive’s Budget Proposal should be submitted to legislators at least two months before the start of the budget year. A legislative committee should examine the in-year budget implementation and publish reports with their findings online.
With regards to public participation, Mr Nyang said the OBS assesses the formal opportunities offered to the public for meaningful participation in the different stages of the budget process
“It examines the practices of the central government’s executive, the legislature, and the supreme audit institution (SAI) using 18 equally weighted indicators, aligned with the Global Initiative for Fiscal Transparency’s Principles of Public Participation in Fiscal Policies, and scores each country on a scale from 0 to 100,” he noted.
Gambia Participates is a civil society organisation in The Gambia, founded on the brink of the 2016 presidential election, which was arguably the most critical election the nation had ever held. Its primary purpose at that time was to encourage the citizens to vote in the election, in the face of intimidation, fear, and uncertainty, with a very high voter participation rate marking the end of the country’s twenty-two-year-old dictatorship.
Since then, the organization has worked on numerous projects around Fiscal Transparency, Anti-Corruption, Elections, Strategic Litigation, Advocacy, and Access to Information and Research.
