More than 100 delegates from 30 African countries are expected to attend an upcoming Collaborative Africa Budget Reform Initiative (CABRI) conference to be held from March 7 to 9 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

The theme of the 11th CABRI conference will be "Managing budgetary pressures,” and delegates will be equipped with the tools and strategies they need to manage extraordinary challenges that impact national budgets that have been tabled.

CABRI executive secretary, Neil Cole, said in essence the primary learning will be, "How to respond when fiscal risks turn into fiscal shocks.” "Unforeseeable events could include a sharp and unexpected fall in commodity prices, a global economic shock, a health crisis, an extreme weather event, a financial failure in a state-owned enterprise … or dramatic political change,” each of which has the potential to turn public finances upside down, explains Cole.

Conference attendees will include key personnel from national ministries of finance and planning, as well as regional and international public finance specialists. During a series of sessions over the three days, they will share practical examples of budgetary pressures they have faced, followed by insights and learnings for future scenarios.

Delegates are expected to be better prepared to manage future budgetary pressures and to communicate budgetary implications to decision-makers and stakeholders so as to minimise cost and build resilience.

CABRI’s flagship event will also showcase current research, share country-level work and provide a platform for peer exchange and learning for the CABRI network and its technical, advocacy and funding partners.

The conference is being jointly sponsored by the German development agency, African Development Bank Group and State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).

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