A World BankMission to Sierra Leone has ended its review of the country’s Public Financial Management Improvement and Consolidation Project (PFMICP)
Sources say the team from 28th to 29 November, 2019 met officials of the Ministries of Finance, Information and Communications, National Revenue Authority, National Public Procurement Authority, the Accountant General’s Department, Audit Service Sierra Leone etc.
The scope of the mission was to assess Sierra Leone’s progress in the Public Financial Management Improvement and Consolidation Project with direct emphasis on the status of ‘agreed actions’ of the July 7-19, 2019 mission.
The World Bank Team at the end of the two-day mission has however commended Government for maintaining a satisfactory record rating in improving its public financial management system and accountability in the use of state resources.
The mission also noted with satisfaction that Sierra Leone was able to nearly accomplish all of the requested actions from the July, 2019 mission.
The Mission praised the effort of non-state actors in collaborating with the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament and other players to track the implementation of recommendations from audit reports in ten selected MDA’s in the country.
The National Revenue Authority,the National Public Procurement Authority and other Public Financial Management institutions in the country were commended for strengthening their various institutional capacities to deal with public accountability and transparency issues.
The National Public Procurement Authority was singled out for being at an advanced stage in rolling out the e-procurement process.
The World Bank Mission was of the view that the above was critical to the overall procurement reform agenda in the country as well as in enhancing contract management systems across Government.
NPPA was recognized for moving towards amending Public Procurement regulations with a view to ensure legal coverage of electronic procurement in the Government of Sierra Leone legal framework.
The team had tasked the Ministry of Finance to address issues around timely disbursement of procurement plans by MDA’s to the National Public Procurement Authority.
The World Bank team had also noted key progress milestones in the areas around revenue managements systems and Legal Framework; improvement of public financial management oversight and accountability, PFM reform coordination and project management etc.
The country has remained satisfactory through most of the indicators.
NPPA Chief, Ibrahim Brima Swarray, notes that the country’s move to e-procurement is critical toensuring accountability and fighting graft in the procurement sector.