Course Outline

Governance and Development

• This module looks at the political and technical issues and role players involved in public financial management. Delegates examine accountability and governance in the structure of government, and the principles and practices of intergovernmental fiscal relations, including revenue assignments, expenditure responsibilities, and intergovernmental transfers. It introduces the accountability cycle, and the mandates, functions, roles and responsibilities that apply in the area of public finance.

Revenue and Funding

• The revenue module acquaints delegates with public sector revenue sources, including principles of taxation, public sector borrowing, systems of intergovernmental transfers and revenue administration.

Strategy, Plan and Budget

• This module introduces participants to government sector budgeting with an emphasis on developing service strategies, plans and budgets. The module looks at the budget cycle, ensuring that the budget reflects the strategy and plan, preparing and defending budget submissions, managing budget tensions and reconciling plans to final budget allocations.

Expenditure Management

• This module looks at the management of public sector expenditures, including programme and project financial management, cost centre management, and accountability and the delegation of financial responsibilities. Specific topics include supply chain management, managing the compensation of employees, capital expenditure management and cash and debt management.

Reporting and Accounting

• This module looks at the reporting cycles, their purposes, and their processes and contexts.  It includes management reporting, reporting to governance and political committees, and annual and public reporting, as well as the discourses and meanings of public financial accountability, closing the books, engaging with the auditor and the audit committee. This module also looks at risk management and risk management reporting systems.