Contents

1. Foreword
2. Introduction 

Section A: Open budgets and public engagement
3. Promoting budget transparency and public engagement on the African continent 

Section B: The nature of public financial management reforms
4. PFM reforms: signals and adaptation
5. Successful PFM reforms: what is the right context and what are the right mechanisms?
6. Case histories of reform: Burkina Faso, Ghana and Malawi
7. How political leaders can promote change: the case of South Africa
8. Driving change. Experiences from South Africa: an interview with Trevor A Manuel, former Minister of Finance (1996-2009) and former Minister of Planning (2009-2014)
9. Moving from concepts to application 

Section C: Implementing change processes
10. Managing people through change
11. Deconstructing problems and iterative implementation
12. Communicating the message

This report summarises the proceedings of the 9th Annual CABRI Seminar, on Exploring the Missing Links in PFM Reforms. Over the past few decades, countries across Africa have moved from one budget reform to another and have observed limited improvements in the way budget systems function. In the pursuit of PFM systems that contribute towards effective and efficient service delivery, SBOs are tackling similar questions and challenges. Why have international best-practice “solutions” not adequately addressed our critical challenges? What are the missing links and gaps in our approaches to reform? How do we do things differently to deliver PFM reforms that are needed, relevant and accepted, and successfully implemented? The 9th Annual CABRI Seminar looked closely at the missing links and how to close the gaps in how we currently approach PFM reforms.