1
Fortnightly Newsletter WEEK 25-26 ISSUE N°15 SEPTEMBER 3, 2012 PCaB Provincial Capacity Building Programme News from PCaB Management Phone: 3128550- 72024105 Fax: 3128265 E-mail: [email protected] [email protected] Provincial Capacity Building Programme Phase II (PCaB) Financial Management Improvement Programme- FMIP OUTCOME Provincial and Local Govern- ments plan and manage their finances and support service delivery effectively and effi- ciently with increased partner- ship and participation of civil society and private sector. PROJECT OUTPUTS 3.1 Selected Provincial and District Treasuries have the capacity to prepare and submit accurate financial reports and statements on time. 3.2 A Performance Manage- ment System in place and operational through a Monitor- ing & Evaluation framework that allows an adequate con- trol & management of provin- cial & district treasury office. 3.3 Integrated Financial Man- agement System (IFMS) op- erational in selected pilot provinces You can visit us on our Website: www.pcabii.org News from Eastern Highlands Province PCaB Assisted Provinces ♦ East New Britain ♦ Eastern Highlands ♦ Morobe ♦ Western ♦ Central ♦ Milne Bay News from East New Britain Province The PCaB programme had its Mid-term Review Workshop from 20th—24th August 2012 in Alotau, Milne Bay Prov- ince. The workshop was officially opened by the FMIP Programme Manager, Mr. Eddy Galele followed by intro- ductory speech from the acting First Assistant Secretary for Provincial District Financial Management Division (PDFMD), Mr. Gabi Kila which the program is collaborat- ing with. Also invited were Mr. Kila’s two Assistant Sec- retaries for the Highlands and New Guinea Islands regions, together with the Assistant Secretary for Internal Audits and Compliance Division, Mr. Jessie Yore. Towards the end of the week, the DoF Secretary, Mr. Steven Gibson participated and officially closed the workshop on Friday. The event was an opportunity to share lessons learnt and best practices from each province for replication in other provinces, especially in a time when PCaB project is entering a new phase in supporting other new provinces. Most of the workshop sessions were interactive dis- cussions with the main DoF stakeholders. Thus, Mr. Kila acknowledged the advisors’ views and sugges- tions in their respective pilot provinces and advised that it is a big challenge for his division to tackle as there are some issues beyond his division’s control. However he will make every effort to address them for the benefit of service delivery at the provincial & district levels. Mr. Kila also commended PCaB Advisors’ efforts and mentioned that it is encouraging to note PCaB extend its program to other non-PCaB provinces as there is a real need. The present government’s focus is on improving service delivery at provincial and district levels. It is timely for PCaB to roll-out their program to the provinces that are in dire need of support in terms of capacity building in financial management. In ENB PCaB site Advisors conducted a second Problem Solving Workshop for Rabaul District and Local-level Government (LLG) officers at the District Treasury Office. The workshop’s focus was on recording, updating and reporting of information in the memo- randa accounts and long/short-term investments. As per Auditor General’s Audit report, 2 Urban LLGs and 16 rural LLGs were not audited, accordingly this workshop was held to assist the District and LLG officers to update their Annual Financial Statement. In EHP, On-the-Job Training (OJT) workshop was conducted to address most of the Cheque Reconciliation Listing (CRL) issues. CRL is the major impediment affecting bank reconciliation in all the accounts that the Provincial and District Treasuries are prepar- ing each month. The site-based advisors’ will ensure that the ap- propriate methods provided in the OJT workshop will assist the officers’ concern to carry out their duties with ease. A way for- ward to address these issues will be that PCaB Advisors will pre- pare a procedural manual for CRL as a contribution to Department of Finance where FTB will include in the Bank Reconciliation competency based training in the not too distant future. PCaB Advisors in discussions with EHP Provincial & District Treasury Staff Mr. Gibson in his closing remarks in the Mid- Term Review Workshop Workshop in progress at Masurina Lodge, Alotau. District Treasury & LLG officers attending Problem Solving Work- shop in Kokopo.
