Public Finance Reforms: Inter-ministerial committee drums inclusiveness to boost performance.

This was during a workshop in Mbankomo, Mefou and Akono Division of the Centre Region. 

Discussions were under the theme: “Public sector finance reforms; inclusive dialogue with the Ministry of Finance”. It was organised by the Ministry of Finance, MINFI. 

The committee said its interest remains on ensuring transparency in the management of management of public finances. 

This, the officials said, must be done to ensure that those charged with public service are accountable to citizens.

Officials said CIEP will also continue to engage public sector actors in different domains to ensure what they do tie with government’s development goals.

Situating the discussion with journalists, the Chief of Division for Budgetary Reforms in the Ministry of Finance, Boumsong Sophie, said the government needs the media to get the right information on its activities to better inform the public.

Such a desire, Boumsong said, justifies the occasional fora public service actors organise to interact with the media for the right information to go out on key national issues.

Boumsong said the government remains open to multiply avenues for interaction with the media in the interest of the public. 

Through such exchanges, the official said the nation will remain mobilised to attain set objectives.

Need for accurate, reliable statistics

The Director General, DG, of the National Institute of Statistics, NIS, Tedou Joseph, who was a resource person at the gathering lectured on the need for accurate and reliable statistics.

Effective budgeting and financing, Tedou said cannot be possible without the right statistics. The absence of accurate and reliable statistics, he said, gives room for manipulation at all levels.

He further harped that the absence of the right statistics also breeds misunderstanding and misinterpretation. NIS boss asserted that unreliable statistics also make whatever officials present questionable.

Tedou charged journalists to take statistics into account when informing the public on government actions. He also advised the media to always have a mastery of statistics used to inform the public.

Even in the private sector, Tedou underscored that reliable statistics are useful in the commercial milieu for businesses to make proper assessments.

He said the country needs vital statistics on human resources capabilities; available technical know-how and financial resources among others to better map its development strategy.

Performance evaluation

The Director of Projects in the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Regional Development, MINEPAT, Nnanga Ernest, said CIEP needs to review actions of political actors to gauge the spinoffs on citizen’s wellbeing.

He remarked that government actions are supposed to improve livelihoods. Nnanga said such an assignment requires government officials to make informed and strategic interventions.

The MINEPAT official credited the National Development Strategy, 2020-2030, SND30, to the work of the inter-ministerial committee.

Nnanga indicated that method and criteria of evaluation always affect moves to achieve inclusiveness in areas such as; gender parity, youth involvement and other socioeconomic and political undertakings.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3526 of Thursday August 07, 2025.