2019/20 Budget Communication Final Budget Communication | Page 12

over the $2.8 million allocated in 2018/19. By equipping the Department of the Auditor General
with more resources, they will now be able to acquire more sophisticated audit tools that allow it
to fulfill its constitutional mandate as an independent auditor.
ii.
Strengthening Public Financial Management
Mr. Speaker,
I mentioned earlier that we have ushered this country into a new era of public financial
management—one that is centered on a prudent use of resources, while exemplifying enhanced
transparency and responsibility. This new era, however, goes beyond just dealing with the
numbers. It also calls for a new day in public processes and procedures. We seek not only to
redefine public programmes and services, but to improve how they are delivered in line with
international best practices. No longer can we operate as an antiquated government with outdated
processes. Instead, we must strive to modernize our current structure to the standards of the 21 st
Century, thereby making the public service more effective in its day to day operations. Put simply,
we must ramp up our focus on the ease of doing business in respect to the public’s interaction with
Government agencies.
In this vein, our measures to strengthen public financial management continued
throughout the last fiscal year, as we made progress with the $33 million IDB-financed Public
Financial Management and Performance Monitoring Reform project. The aim of this project is to
strengthen the Government’s capacity to allocate, manage and monitor public resources.
Essentially, it will help to upgrade the Government’s institutional capacity, strengthen economic
performance and to improve the country’s fiscal position through a reduction in overall
expenditure. Indeed, it is a key mechanism for increasing fiscal responsibility and accountability
across all institutions of government with respect to public funds. The project has four components:
performance monitoring, national statistics, public financial management and procurement.
Under Component I, the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit (PMDU) was successfully
established and staffed. Working with Ministries, Departments and Agencies, this team has applied
the ‘Deliverology’ method to improve project performance associated with the key priorities of the
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