Last week, CABRI in partnership with the National Economic Social and Environmental Council (CNESE), UNICEF Algeria, and the National Organisation for the Protection and Promotion of Childhood (ONPPE) Algeria, held a four-day hybrid training on Module 5 of the “Strengthening capabilities for the implementation of programme-based budgeting in Algeria” programme. Module 5 focused on budgeting actions included in the National Action Plan (NAP). Steered by Mr. Neil Cole, Independent Consultant in Public Financial Management) PFM), and Mrs. Yacine Bio-Tchané, Public Finance Consultant specialised in francophone Africa, the training unpacked priorities of the Algerian NAP.

“Programme-based budgeting (PBB) in the public sector is a good reform that supports planning, budgeting, service delivery and accountability, and the integration of all of these in a coherent and logical way,” said Mr. Cole. Where reforms have failed, it is due to the approach used and not the reform itself, he added. The training discussed guidelines for budgeting actions included in the NAP that focus on the implementation, accounting, reporting, monitoring, and evaluation processes according to the programme-based budget approach. Both Mr. Cole and Mrs. Bio-Tchané were present in Algeria to offer hands-on support and in-depth analysis.

CABRI member countries Rwanda and Burkina Faso shared their country experiences in implementing PBB.

The key objective of the programme is to develop a childhood satellite account that will facilitate the analysis of economic and budgetary data in the framework of the national accounting system and national social and economic accounts in Algeria. The modules of the programme were designed to improve the understanding, credibility, and performance of budgets in childhood sectors and of measuring and monitoring allocations and national expenditures in the childhood sector.