Benin’s Financial Compliance Blog: Building Effective Public Engagement Through Budget Transparency

In the West African nation of Benin, a new blog series from the Ministry of Economy and Finance details the country’s journey towards financial compliance and public accountability. The blog, run by Rodrigue Chaou, Director General; Pierrot Sego, Director of the Budget Formulation and Evaluation Unit; and Mireille Codjovi, Head of the Budget Transparency and Communication Pilot Unit, discusses Benin’s efforts to improve budget transparency, accountability, and public participation.

Background: The Need for Financial Compliance in Benin

Benin’s financial compliance journey began in response to the publication of the Open Budget Survey 2012 by the International Budget Partnership (IBP). Issues such as a lack of public dialogue on economic and budgeting goals, unclear government policy goals, and a complete absence of mechanisms to access information on public financial management necessitated action.

Improving Financial Compliance and Budget Transparency

Since 2013, Benin has made significant strides in improving financial compliance, extending beyond the sphere of competence of the Executive to include the legislative and judicial authorities. Initiatives include:

Organizing national workshops on budget transparency
Establishing an annual action plan to improve budget transparency, public participation, and accountability
Engaging civil society and development partners

Recent Reforms: Increasing Transparency and Inclusivity

Benin’s financial compliance journey has seen several recent reforms, designed to increase transparency and inclusivity. These reforms include:

Organizing budget calendar distribution workshops
Encouraging civil society participation in sectoral reviews
Inviting civil society to budget orientation debates in the National Assembly
Holding budget conferences at the local level
Introducing the Finance Bill to various stakeholders

Twinning Program: A Collaborative Approach

In 2018, Benin participated in the CABRI Twinning Program, a collaboration between the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Benin and the Ministry of Budget of Guinea-Conakry. This led to the adoption of an action plan addressing challenges identified by both countries, marking the beginning of an increasingly transparent and inclusive budget process in Benin.

The Benefits: Informed Decision-Making through Public Engagement

The blog series sheds light on Benin’s progress towards greater public financial transparency and the benefits of implementing comprehensive budget transparency and public engagement initiatives. By involving various stakeholders, Benin’s efforts demonstrate that effective public engagement can lead to more inclusive and informed decision-making processes. Stay tuned for further updates on this exciting financial compliance journey in Benin.

Subheadings:

Benin’s Financial Compliance Journey: A Response to Challenges
Improving Budget Transparency and Accountability: A Collaborative Effort
Recent Reforms: Increasing Transparency and Inclusivity
The Benefits: Informed Decision-Making through Public Engagement

Bullet Points:

Benin committed to enhancing public accessibility to budget and financial information
Lack of dialogue with the public on economic and budgeting goals
Unclear goals for government policies
Poor compliance by citizens with implementing essential reforms
Absence of mechanisms to access information on public financial management
Benin organized national workshops on budget transparency
Annual action plan to improve budget transparency, public participation, and accountability
Engaging civil society and development partners
CABRI Twinning Program: Collaboration between Benin and Guinea-Conakry
Recent reforms: budget calendar distribution workshops, civil society participation, etc.
Effective public engagement leads to more inclusive and informed decision-making processes.