Fridays of the Commission Policy Dialogue. “Budget Openness for Africa: Key lever for achieving the African Union Agenda 2063”

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June 16, 2023

Fridays of the Commission Policy Dialogue.

“Budget Openness for Africa: Key lever for achieving the African Union Agenda 2063”

What: The Fridays of the Commission Policy Dialogue convened under the theme “Budget Openness for Africa: Key lever for achieving the African Union Agenda 2063” will discuss improved budget openness, public participation, and strengthened fiscal accountability systems contribute to more and better public spending, and improved governance.

When: 16^th June 2023. 2 PM EAT.

Where: African Union Headquarters, Small Conference Hall 4. Join virtually on:

https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ypaT64DvRjCtHHd96pN97A

Who: The Opening Session will be addressed by, among others,

H.E. Albert Muchanga, AU Commissioner for Economic Development, Trade,

Tourism, Industry and Minerals (ETTIM)

Mr. Antonio Pedro, Acting Executive Secretary, UNECA
Dr. Laila Gad, UNICEF Head of the Liaison Office to the AU & ECA

Background information:

Budget transparency is a key aspect of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing Sustainable Development. Improved budget openness, public participation, and strengthened fiscal accountability systems contribute to more and better public spending, and improved governance. The lack of transparency is one of the factors which enables wastage, leakage, and other abuses of public resources. It is also linked to low budget credibility and execution rates.

Moreover, comprehensive and timely information on fiscal processes, revenues and expenditures enable civil society organizations, parliamentarians, Supreme Audit Institutions and other stakeholders to participate in policy and budgeting processes. Budget openness makes it possible for oversight institutions and the public to hold government ministries and departments to account for their spending decisions. By making budget information publicly available, it is also possible for AU member states to see how each country is performing against continental spending commitments and learn from each other.

The main objective of the dialogue is to engage member’s states of the African Union on how transparency and accountability can drive an effective post COVID-19 recovery agenda for African States and help strengthen economic governance. The dialogue, will explore how open, credible, and accountable open budget practices can promote better spending and resilient recovery and will interrogate the following areas:

How can transparent, inclusive, and equitable budgets advance the Agenda 2063?
How can transparency be embedded in debt discussions, revenue mobilization efforts, and a wide range of public financial management initiatives?
What are the promising examples of open and accountable economic governance that underwrite sustainable development?
How can the AUC better work with Member States and development partners to enhance transparency, accountability and public participation in how resources are raised, allocated, and spent?
The main goal for the discussion is to identify priority areas of reform and sketch pathways of change for Member States of the African Union to improve economic governance through enhanced transparency, accountability and public participation.

For more details, find below the attached Concept Note.

For further information, please contact: