SOUTHERN PROVINCE

MUHANGA — At least 70 people drawn from central and local government have received skills in public procurement.

The training is meant to enhance their efficiency.
The two-weeks training that started on the 29th of July at RIAM-Murambi was sponsored by HIDA in conjunction with the Ministry of Finance. It was implemented by Canadian experts.

A total of 270 officials are to receive the training by 2010. The training equips participants with knowledge of procurement, tender management, policy design, operational strategic planning, fiscal decentralisation, and monitoring and evaluation among other things.

"The training is aimed at addressing issues of poor accountability in districts and government institutions which were raised by the Auditor General’s report recently,” said John Rwangombwa, the secretary general of the Ministry of Finance.

Rwangombwa explained that the training will increase on the capacity of the trainees in making financial reports.

Charles Karake, of HIDA, said that the training was organised after needs assessment and a follow up will be done on each of the participants to see how they employ the learnt skills in their jobs.

He acknowledged that procurement is a big problem that needs to be addressed. He noted that developing terms of reference was a solution.

"There is a problem of procurement because most services are procured without being backed by terms of reference; yet you cannot simply know what to do in terms of service delivery unless you develop terms of reference,” he said, adding that the training is a possible solution to poor accountability and inefficient financial reports on government funds in most government institutions and ministries.

The inefficiencies have previously been blamed on ‘lack of training for most government accountants.’ 

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