By Sulaiman Jalloh
In an effort to capacitate media practitioners on financial reporting in Sierra Leone, the Budget Advocacy Network (BAN) has on Friday, May 10, 2024 concluded an in-depth training on Public Financial Management (PFM) for twenty journalists in Freetown.
The session was done in partnership with Christian Aid Sierra Leone, in rolling out the Promoting Accountability and Community Engagement (PACE) project, specifically focusing on the General-Purpose Financial Statement; Accounting, and Reporting on the Revenue and Government Expenditures; and the Government Chart of Account.
The training which was conducted on Friday 10th, May 2024, at the CCSL Hall, King Herman Road in Freetown targeted 20 Journalists selected from the PFM Journalists Network representing various electronics and print media institutions.
BAN collaborated with the Ministry of Finance’s Accountant General’s Department in facilitating the workshop, which built the capacity of Journalists on the legal framework, that guides the Accountant General on how to prepare the Government of Sierra Leone’s Annual Public Accounts and Fiscal Reports and improve the knowledge and understanding of Journalists in public sector accounting and reporting, focusing on essential concepts such as GFS, Chart of Accounts, Annual Financial Statements, and International Public Sector Accounting Standards.
The main objective is to strengthen the capacity of the media (Journalists) working on Public Financial Management to effectively demand greater accountability and transparency from duty bearers (MDAs).
The PACE consortium led by Christian Aid Sierra Leone, comprising the Budget Advocacy Network, SEND, Green Scenery, WONES, and NMJD seeks to enhance an inclusive, transparent, accountable, and peaceful Sierra Leone, where citizens claim and enjoy rights.
Abubakarr Tarawally programs and public officer of BAN said that journalists across the country have been reporting around public finance management issues for about three years, but that they were identified through the knowledge gap analysis, among others. “Transparency has to do with how government generates revenue and how those revenues are spent ion be half of the citizens and Sierra Leoneans need to know and understand”, he asserted, saying this help journalists and citizens to know if government is spending the right way.
Abdullah Alhaji Alghali, head of financial and management account, accountant general’s department, Ministry of Finance who facilitated and mentored journalists about PFM reporting said that there has been increase requests from journalists to get more understanding and get more insights into the work of public servants especially his office, saying their work is to aid transparency and accountability, adding as part of their responsibility is to prepare the annual financial statement for government to be examine by the auditor general for subsequent presentation to Parliament. “Journalists because at the end of the day they take information to the public, we want them to carry the best information and get the right knowledge so that they won’t misinformed the public” he said, stressing the need to provide their expertise to journalists on PFM specifically on accounting and reporting.
He said that the training focuses on basis of the preparing of the financial statement, the standard they use and the legal framework and provisions among other technical and expenditure from government.
One of the beneficiaries, Lawrence Williams, editor of ‘Freetown Post newspaper’ expressed gratitude, saying over the years, they have been reporting on public finance management especially bringing up to speed the work of the accountant general and this is just one of the trainings, noting out the reporting work of the accountant general journalists can able to produce data driven stories especially Public Financial Management (PFM).
Marion George who works with Ari radio said that she learnt about data something she said lots of journalist don’t know about data journalism, noting PFM reporting entails figures hence its crucial to learn about those figures. According to journalist George, as a PFM journalist, she has been struggling to report on figures and that with the training she will be able utilize the knowledge acquired to report accurately.
Copyright –Published in print in Expo Times Newspaper on Monday, May 13TH, 2024 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
