Accountancy body invests on public financial management research to explore sustainable performance

The Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA) has announced that more research was being carried out on Public Financial Management (PFM) across Africa, including Zambia.

This is meant to explore its sustainable performance, visiting Global Chief Executive of ACCA, Helen Brand, told journalists in an interview in Lusaka on Tuesday.

Brand mentioned that the report was expected to be made public in May this year, stating that the research itself would seek to explore the central role of the professional in driving and supporting sustainable PFM performance.

She noted the research was capturing the critical capacity gaps of professionals and the systemic (institutional) challenges impacting PFM performance and credibility of governments, in achieving reform outcomes.

“We are currently carrying out more research into PFM as across Africa, PFM reforms remain at the fore of several governments’ agenda. The quest for improved performance and capability to drive implementation has however not been without challenges.

“Development partners such as the World bank, United Nations Development Programme and African Development Bank invested in providing support in these areas also face challenges around access to current and reliable information on PFM performance and capability gaps,” Brand said.

She indicated that it was important that the finance profession in the public sector developed an ethical dimension, ensuring that they provided transparency and clarity in areas such as budgeting, spending and financial management to tackle mismanagement and financial corruption.

Brand urged professionals to continue focusing on learning and development to ensure that they could make the most effective contribution to government services and the wider economy.

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