Reflections on the results of the Open Budget Survey (OBS)

This is within the framework of the workshop on the presentation of the 2021 results of the Open Budget Survey (OBS) for Cameroon coupled with the review of the follow-up of the recommendations of the African workshop on the national integrated financing framework which opened on 19 January 2023 at the Djeuga Palace Hotel in Yaounde. It will run to 20 January 2023.

The aim of the workshop is to improve Cameroon’s score in the various evaluations of its Public Finance Management system. This is the aim of the meeting which was opened this morning by Mrs. Sophie BOUMSONG, Head of Division for Budgetary Reform. In the presence of the representative of the Audit Bench of the Supreme Court, the representative of UNICEF, officials of the various administrations directly involved in the preparation and monitoring of the State budget and civil society, the objective of this meeting is ” to boost the strengthening of the national strategy on budget transparency “, said Mrs. Sophie BOUMSONG in her introductory remarks.

It is for this reason that the Government, through certain rating institutions, carries out regular evaluations of its public finance management system. As part of this process, the results of the latest assessment by the International Budget Partnership (IBP) for the Open Budget Survey (OBS) were published in 2022. The IBP assesses the public financial management system on the basis of three criteria: transparency, public participation and budgetary control. For this eighth edition of its report, Cameroon’s score, although below the average of 50/100, has seen an overall progression of 06 points.

Indeed, with regard to transparency, Cameroon has a score of 34/100. This criterion assesses the online availability, timeliness and completeness of eight key budget documents. In 2019, this score was 28/100. The country’s performance is justified by the online publication of the Citizen Budget and the increase in information provided in the executive’s draft budget.

In terms of public participation, the country scored 11/100. This is an evaluation of the possibilities offered to the public for meaningful participation in the various stages of the budgetary process. In this regard, Cameroon has instituted pre-budget deliberations during the formulation of the budget, as well as national, regional, divisional and council monitoring committees during its execution.

Finally, with regard to budgetary control, the country has an average score of 33/100. The report notes that ‘the legislature and the supreme audit institution of Cameroon together exercise weak control during the budgetary process’.

The resolutions of this workshop should therefore enable Cameroon ” to improve its actions in the direction of transparency in budget management ” in order to ” allow citizens to have a clear idea of the budget, its design, implementation and monitoring-evaluation ” said Mrs. Sophie BOUMSONG. In addition, it will be a question of mapping the strengths, threats, opportunities and weaknesses of Cameroon’s public finance management system.

To achieve this, during the two days of work, exchanges will be nourished around the ” practice of transparency in public finance management in Cameroon “, ” the presentation of the National Integrated Financing Framework “; ” the presentation of the main conclusions and recommendations of the African workshop on the National Integrated Financing Framework ” and ” the use and information of budgetary data dissemination tools”.

As part of the harmonisation of good practices in public finance, the Government has shown its willingness to align itself with international standards in this area, by adopting Law No. 2018/011 of 11 July 2018 on the Code of Transparency and Good Governance in the management of public finances in Cameroon. The said code notes ” the obligation to inform the public through various necessary channels, in order to make budgetary information accessible “. Cameroon is among the 120 countries in the world that have subscribed to submit the management of its public finance system to the Open Budget Survey (OBS).

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