15th Annual SADCOPA Conference underway
The 15th Annual Conference of Southern African Development Community Organisation of Public Accounts Committees ( SADCOPAC) kicked off this week in South Africa.
Delegates deliberated on ways to tighten oversight for advanced ethical public financial management, governance, and accountability within governments in the SADC region.
Delivering his keynote address at the opening ceremony on Tuesday this week, SADCOPAC Chairperson, Warren Mwambazi, who is also Chairperson of Zambia’s Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee, said the past two decades had seen SADCOPAC establish itself as an association that advocates for prudent public financial management in the SADC region, premised on accountability and good governance.
He said, “SADCOPAC exercises oversight on governments in SADC countries for them to meet the expectations of the people for sound and accountable governance, by continuously facilitating efficient spending and promoting sound financial management practices.”
The conference is expected to adopt SADCOPAC’s long- term programme premised on its strategic objectives of strengthening oversight on financial management and accountability by individual public accounts committees in SADC countries.
According to the chairperson, in keeping with the new world order premised on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, SADCOPAC will further deliberate on how its sister committees should reposition and repurpose themselves to embrace the efficiencies of current technology developments to advance their constitutional mandates.
The theme of the 15th Annual SADCOPA Conference is, ‘ Enhancing Oversight for Advanced Ethical Public Financial Management and Accountability Towards the Development of Africa.’