Held at NaNA conference hall in Bakau, the training was organised by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs and conducted by GFA Business Development Services with funding from the European Union. It is aimed at building the capacity of government employees in public financial management.
The training deliberated on the state of financial processes in government including the critical issues of budget support from institutions such as the EU, macroeconomics and the budget, principles for sound budget preparation, Medium Team Expenditure (MTE) as well as budget execution and internal controls and internal audit.
Speaking at the closing of the training, Juldeh Ceesay, deputy permanent secretary of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, while commending the trainers for their efforts, expressed optimism that the training would enable participants to demonstrate efficiency and effectiveness in administering all financial transactions at their various institutions.
“As a result of your concerted efforts, you have created a special group of financial experts who I can say our government is proud of,” she said, while congratulating them for the excellent results of the training.
Madam Ceesay described the financial services industry today as a challenging one with the traditional lines of business being expanded into new areas and new business models.
She pointed out that skill set requirements have also evolved in tandem with the growing diversity and complexity of financial channels; together with the sophisticated expectations and new technological innovations.
DPS Ceesay thus urged for more capacity building trainings to ensure that the country’s financial experts stand the challenges.
Gheran Senghore, managing consultant for GFS Business Development Services, said the training was conducted as a result of existing gaps in the financial system, adding that the training was directed at making sure that they are able to cover some of the gaps and lapses that are in the system for better management and transparency within Gambia government.
Mr Senghore noted that they hope the lapses identified in the system will be filled and hoping to train more people on financial management including budget support and other areas.
Yaya Drammeh, deputy permanent secretary of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, who was one of the participants, described the training as important, saying they have learnt from the experience of other participants.
