\ members
DFID, EU and Irish Aid. rightly proud of its young democracy but there is still some
Over 200 students have been taking the qualification. 30% unemployment and HIV and Aids remain a problem.
The PFM Programme is due to end in 2010 but there is Among the senior public finance people we met there is
general agreement that funding needs to be found and clearly a common concern about the shortage of professional
the programme to continue in order to grow a cadre of financial management capacity in the public service and they
Caroline Mawhood with Kenneth Hlasa – Former
professionally trained public sector accountants in the region. are looking for ways to address this. I met the IPFA chair, Justus
Accountant General of the Government of Lesotho
We were very pleased to learn that a number of staff in Naude for the first time and we discussed the scope for further
the Auditor General’s Office are on the CIPFA programme. The work with IPFA. It was especially good to meet Shiva Mokotoko
Lesotho Government want to support staff training leading to from the African Bank South Africa who had brought a group of
professional qualifications participants on a World Bank
but they are concerned that scheme to the UK and CIPFA
trained staff leave for better last year and wanted to do the
paid jobs in the private sector. same this year.
During our visit, CIPFA Recognising the
hosted a reception which differences between the
attracted the key players public and private sectors,
who came to lend support including the more complex
to our work. In my speech decision making in the
I was keen to stress that public sector, both Lesotho
CIPFA’s encouragement of and South Africa see a
professionalism in Africa real distinction between
is not about competing accountancy training in
Caroline Mawhood with Monica Besetsa – Deputy Auditor General
with local institutes. Rather the private sector and in
that we aim to work with them and offer support as they public financial management covering accounting, budgeting
establish themselves as professional bodies. During our visit and decision making. Yet what struck me was the very real
Caroline and I addressed some 80 of the Lesotho students and problems both countries had faced in securing the funding
answered their questions. for training and in retaining professional staff in their public
The visit to CAS was a real eye opener – 40 students were services.
packed into classrooms where we would fit 10. The library The World Bank is interested in providing funding to
is stacked with books but there were too many students for improve the capacity and capability of African countries but
the library and lecturers share small offices. However a new there is a long way to go. For CIPFA there is plenty of scope
classroom for CIPFA students is nearing completion. I was very to provide assistance on public financial management. I am
pleased to visit the college to which we donated the money we confident we shall continue to respond to that.
usually spend on gifts at our Annual Dinner.
South Africa
the visit was part of CIPFA’s overall
We then moved onto South Africa, where CIPFA has a joint
venture with the Institute of Public Finance and Auditing
strategy to encourage and support
(IPFA). In Pretoria we encountered a very different economic professionalism in developing
environment. South Africa is well on course to meet the
countries
Millennium Development Goals before 2015. The country is
CIPFA | Spreadsheet magazine | JUNE 2009 9
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