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Budget, state and people: budget process, civil society and transparency in Angola
2007
J. Isaksen; I. Amundsen; A. Wiig
This paper explores issues around budget governance in Angola by pointing out the obstacles and opportunities for increased transparency and popular consultation in the prioritisation of state expenditure. The paper reports on issues arising at the political and institutional level, the budget process and the role of civil society.
Findings from the study include:
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the main changes required for a fairer budget process include the introduction of free and fair elections, guaranteed and protected political rights, legal guarantees of political parties’ democratic credentials, funding and operation, a strengthening of the judiciary and the parliament in their powers of scrutiny and control, and a reinforcement of the independent institutions of financial supervision
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the state institutions involved in the budget process are all rather weak but learning and improvements have taken place, in particular in the Ministry of Finance, of the Finance
Committee of the Parliament and of the supreme audit institution
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the main deficiency of Angola’s budget process is a lack of transparency with no consultation or debate on the budget and no audit of actual expenditures
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civil society has a particularly important role in advancing the public demand for improving public finance management. At present the demand for good economic governance from the public through democratic processes is weak
The report recommends the following for improving budget governance:
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a sequenced plan for the overhaul of the budget system must be constructed by Government focusing on basic elements essential for public service delivery
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civil society organisations (CSOs) should acquire a better understanding of public expenditure management and to build coalitions and cooperate with other CSOs, international organisations and the media
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bilateral partners and international financial institutions (IFIs) should harmonise their activities on budget issues in order to have an impact, and a coordination group should be formed
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bilateral partners and IFIs should work with government institutions in order to strengthen transparency, oversight and sound budget management at both central and regional levels
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