12:10 PM
Tuesday 07 September 2021
Books – Mustafa Eid:
Finance Minister Mohamed Maait said that the Ministry of Finance, in coordination with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), organized a workshop to train 40 representatives of 6 economic authorities on implementing program and performance budgets, according to a statement from the Ministry of Finance today, Tuesday.
Maait added that these economic bodies are represented by the Railway Authority, the New and Renewable Energy Authority, the Comprehensive Health Insurance Authority, the Industrial Development Authority, the National Academy for Rehabilitation of Youth, and the National Social Insurance Authority.
He stated that the government has made great strides in the procedures for gradually implementing the “programs and performance” budget in ministries, budgetary bodies, and economic bodies, in conjunction with the start of procedures for implementing the government financial information system “GFMIS” on economic bodies as well.
The minister explained that this aims to implement the highest standards of controlling, directing and controlling public spending; This contributes to strengthening the governance of the financial system, achieving economic and development goals, maximizing the use of the resources of these bodies, and upgrading the services provided to citizens.
He stressed that the “Programs and Performance” budget is one of the most important tools of economic reform, achieving economic goals, and meeting development needs in accordance with the sustainable development vision “Egypt 2030”, as it ensures speed and accuracy of achievement, upgrading government performance, unifying efforts in similar activities in various sectors, and linking ministries’ programs and government objectives.
He pointed out that this comes in a way that contributes to the optimal application of the “programs and performance” budget, raising the efficiency of public spending, achieving optimal utilization of state resources, making better use of the financial appropriations of various budgetary agencies, setting spending priorities and following up on the implementation of programs within various government agencies and institutions.
Ahmed Kjok, Deputy Minister for Public Policies and Institutional Development, said that implementing the “programs and performance” budget helps economic bodies develop their financial management, prepare program and performance budgets, and improve work patterns, especially that the unified public finance law will be issued soon.
He added that this helps to easily monitor the cost and return of services provided to citizens, as well as their impact; It leads to achieving the best return for the economic authorities in order to provide the best service to the Egyptian citizen.
Kjok thanked the US Agency for International Development for the support and assistance in training and rehabilitation and other programs implemented by the Ministry of Finance to ensure the achievement of its development plans.
He pointed to the close relationship between the Ministry of Finance and various economic bodies, especially during recent years, which does not stop at holding training and rehabilitation workshops, but extends to participation in the files of developing bodies and their institutions to keep pace with the development process, and that balancing programs and performance gives the ministry a degree of sound vision when setting policies. The financial situation of the state, measuring its various indicators, and determining its results.
Kjok praised the role of the Social Insurance Authority in regulating pension matters that need long-term planning in line with the methods of measuring the “programs and performance” budget, as well as the railway authority, which has begun to benefit from the “programs and performance” budget in development processes.
Muhammad Al-Sobki, Head of the Final Accounts Sector and Head of the Programs and Performance Budget Unit at the Ministry of Finance, explained that the program and performance budget aims to raise the efficiency and effectiveness of public spending by linking financial allocations to the results to be achieved, and measuring performance in a sustainable manner.
He stated that during the qualification and training course for representatives of economic bodies, the focus is primarily on the procedures for applying the “Programs and Performance” budget to the state’s general budget; Including reflected on the Egyptian citizen in his daily life.
El-Sobky added that the idea of balancing programs and performance began in the 2016-2017 fiscal year to improve the distribution of funds in the state’s general budget, especially in sectors of interest to the Egyptian public, such as education and health, and this has been done in a unified model since the issuance of the government program in 2019.
Representatives of the economic bodies participating in the workshop expressed their happiness at starting their training on the procedures for implementing the program and performance budget, according to the statement.
Mona Abdel Moneim, the financial advisor to the Comprehensive Health Insurance Authority, said that the implementation of the program and performance budget contributes to achieving the goals of the Comprehensive Health Insurance Authority, as the authority falls mainly in one of the programs budgeting programs and strategic performance identified for economic bodies, which is building the Egyptian citizen.
Ahmed Sultan, Director General of Financial Planning and Budget at the Egyptian Railways, explained that balancing programs and performance contributes to exploiting all possible tools and means to reach the authority’s goals and set priorities. To help improve the services provided to citizens.
Osama Abdel Aziz, Director General of the Budget at the New and Renewable Energy Authority, stressed that the “Programs and Performance” budget contributes to strengthening the governance of the financial system and achieving economic and development goals.
Muhammad Gharam, a finance and accounting specialist in the General Directorate of Policies at the Industrial Development Authority, explained that the “Programs and Performance” budget contributes to measuring the results of each program implemented by the authority with great accuracy, which helps in calculating the cost and return of each program, and determining priority programs.
Mohamed El-Shazly, Financial Director of the National Youth Training Academy, added that balancing “Programs and Performance” helps in achieving the Academy’s strategic goals and measuring performance in a sustainable manner.
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