Speaker of Parliament Anita Among has challenged the African Network of Parliamentary Budget Offices to develop a mechanism for integrating public views into the budget process. This would ensure that citizens’ perspectives on national expenditure are considered a key accountability measure.
Represented by Commissioner of Parliament Solomon Silwany at the opening of the 7-day conference at Speke Resort Munyonyo, Speaker Among emphasized the crucial role of parliamentary budget offices in guiding national budget processes. However, she stressed that this task should be performed in tandem with considering the populace’s views on the entire process.
She also called for enhanced support for Parliamentary budget departments through capacity building to ensure competitiveness. Additionally, Among urged Parliament Budget officers to scrutinize public expenditure to enhance service delivery.
The 7th Annual African Network of Parliamentary Budget Offices Conference at Speke Resort Munyonyo brought together Budget officers from 16 countries across the Continent. Rose Ikiror Ssemakula, Deputy Clerk to Parliament, highlighted the budget office’s role in enhancing Parliament’s and legislators’ capacity.
Suleiman Kiggundu, Director of Budget for the Parliament of Uganda, and Dr. Martin Masinde of Kenya, also emphasized the need for budget offices to facilitate pro-people budgeting and spending.
