derick.khumalo
Nqobile Bhebhe
[email protected]
FOUR Parliamentary Portfolio Committees are holding a four-day capacity-building workshop in Bulawayo to strengthen oversight of public finance management and the national budget process.
The committees include Energy and Power Development; Environment, Climate and Wildlife; Information and Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services and Media, Information and Broadcasting Services.
Speaker of Parliament Advocate Jacob Francis Mudenda is today expected to deliver the keynote address.
The four-day programme is designed to enhance legislators’ understanding of budget formulation, analysis, monitoring and evaluation to improve oversight of public expenditure.
According to the programme schedule, key discussions will centre on Zimbabwe’s macroeconomic framework, with experts unpacking developments in the real, fiscal and monetary sectors as well as the balance of payments to provide legislators with a broader appreciation of the country’s economic landscape.
Participants will also analyse Government revenue measures, focusing on the impact of proposed tax policies on fiscal revenue generation, businesses, citizens and tax administration.
The workshop will further examine expenditure allocation, priority setting under the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2), public consultations, vote analysis and programme-based budgeting.
Another major area of discussion will be budget monitoring and evaluation, with emphasis on quarterly reporting guidelines, strategic planning, resource allocation, expenditure management and strengthening integrity and parliamentary oversight.
The workshop also features plenary sessions and group work to enable legislators to apply budget analysis tools and assess the impact of revenue measures with outcomes expected to strengthen Parliament’s capacity to scrutinise public finances and promote accountability in the use of national resources.
