The African Development Bank Group’s Fiduciary and Inspection Department, in partnership with the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) Secretariat of the World Bank, organized a flagship training on the PEFA framework for public financial management (PFM) experts in Eastern Africa. Held from 16 to 18 September 2025, the program brought together more than 60 participants from the Bank, its regional member countries, and the World Bank. The training aimed to equip participants with the knowledge and skills to apply the PEFA framework, an internationally recognized tool for assessing the effectiveness of PFM systems.
Public financial management, which governs how governments collect, allocate, spend, and account for public funds, plays a vital role in service delivery, sustainable growth, and accountability. The sessions offered practical guidance on integrating climate and gender considerations into budgeting, policy development, and expenditure monitoring to enhance the inclusiveness and impact of government spending.
Opening the event on behalf of the Bank’s East Africa Director General, Bubacarr Sankareh highlighted PFM as a cornerstone of development, essential for advancing Africa’s Agenda 2063, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Bank’s vision. Kenya’s Principal Secretary for the National Treasury, Chris Kiptoo, underscored that effective PFM builds public trust by ensuring transparency, accountability, and value for money. Other speakers, including Legesse Eshetu from AfDB and Srinivas Gurazada of the PEFA Secretariat, emphasized the importance of evidence-based reforms and the strength of partnerships in implementing the framework.
Participants shared positive feedback on the training, noting its practical relevance and collaborative nature. AfDB’s Margaret Kamau stressed the importance of using PEFA as a diagnostic tool tailored to real-world systems, while Linet Miriti, the Bank’s Chief Gender Officer, acknowledged that the training would have enhanced the focus and rigor of her past work. Kenya’s Yusuf Karo further called for regular follow-up sessions to reinforce the knowledge gained.
The training concluded with a collective commitment to leverage the PEFA framework as a driver of reform. By strengthening the capacity of finance experts and fostering regional collaboration, the African Development Bank Group and its partners are reinforcing efforts to ensure Africa’s public resources are managed transparently, effectively, and for the benefit of sustainable development.
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