By Mustapha Kamara Jnr
Finance Minister Dr Kaifala Marah has pleaded with government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to adopt a frugal approach in the management of their budgetary allocations.
Marah bemoaned frequent requests from MDAs for extra-budgetary allocations, singling out requests relating to overseas travels as particularly pointless. He said as a ministry, they expected their clients particularly MDAs, to be prudent in financial management and not to inundate them with such requests.
The minister was speaking last week at the beginning of a two-day workshop aimed at popularizing the Client Service Charter of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MoFED).
The workshop which was held at the Miatta Conference Center was aimed at validating the draft copy of the document that basically details the various services provided by MoFED to the MDAs. The document also lists what is required of MDAs as beneficiaries.
MDAs are expected to always take cognizance of the fact that variance between what is projected in the budget and what is actually allocated was not a deliberate ploy to stifle their activities, said Minister Marah.
“You cannot utilize what you don't have," he stressed.
Developing a Client Service Charter has become a global practice by government institutions around the world because it helps to improve service delivery of government institutions, the minister said.
"This is the Road Map that will guide us on how best we can deliver the services MDAS and the people of Sierra Leone require from us," Marah said, adding: “as a ministry, we expect our clients particularly the MDA’s to be prudent in financial management so as not to inundate us with frequent request for extra budgetary expenditures especially for overseas travel.”
At the end of the workshop, participants drawn from across various MDAs were expected to share with the Ministry their views on the Charter which was designed to meet their needs.
To meet these needs it is critical that the beneficiaries are consulted, said officials.
Participants raised a number of concerns and suggested recommendations which are meant to be incorporated into the final document.
But for some, like the Deputy Chief Administrator of the Bo District Council, Abdul Mansour, the Service Charter came late and left out many issues that needed to be addressed.
Mansour also observed that the ministry did not involve the council when preparing the document. He however lauded the document as “good” and “a milestone towards development.”
Other participants recommended that the ministry should endeavor to improve on the loan services, payment of salaries and retirement benefit for civil servants.
(C) Politico 14/08/15
