A $33-million fund to help the Ethiopian government modernise management of its public finance and procurement has been approved by the World bank.
The group said that the fund, in the form of an International Development Association (IDA) credit, would allow Ethiopia to strengthen the effectiveness of internal control systems and ensure proper expenditure management to reduce extreme poverty and promote shared prosperity.
The credit will allow a Public Financial Management Project to be implemented by Ministry of Finance and Economic Co-operation. It will streamline and automate financial management systems, improve budget planning and execution, payroll processing and financial reporting.
It will also help improve the regulatory and institutional framework for procurement. A certification programme will be introduced for procurement staff, and the money will help the government increase the capacity of federal and regional procurement regulatory bodies in market research, data collection and performance monitoring.
Carolyn Turk, country director for Ethiopia, said the government recognised the necessity for an efficient public expenditure management system when it comes to a country’s development and had already introduced a reform programme to improve its ability to manage and control its large-scale public expenditures.
“The Public Financial Management Project would help improve the efficacy of the country’s existing expenditure management systems at all levels of government,” concluded Turk.
This article first appeared on Supply Management