SADC PAC members drilled on governance
Members of the Public Accounts Committee ( PAC) including Chairperson, Wynter Mmolotsi, who also serves as the General Secretary of SADC Organization of Public Accounts Committees ( SADCOPAC), are in Tanzania to attend SADCOPAC governance meetings. e MPs will also participate in the peer review programme, discussions on the establishment of sub- committees and training sessions for PAC and similar oversight committees. Public Accounts Committees ( PACs) within SADC have been pushing for a regional oversight model that will ensure taxpayers receive best value for money spent by their governments.
SADCOPAC, which is a liated to the African Organisation of Public Accounts Committees and Commonwealth Association of Public Accounts Committees has expressed preparedness to learn and adopt best practices to strengthen regional PACs.
The SADCOPAC Conference is expected to shed light on how public accounts committees of SADC can strengthen their oversight to advance nancial management and accountability on the development objectives of their respective countries and the continent enshrined in African Union ( AU) Agenda 2063. The conference is also expected to raise awareness of common challenges around the management of the public purse. e apex responsibility of this coordinating structure of SADC public accounts committees is to scrutinise their governments’ financial expenditure patterns to ensure that there is value for money, transparency and accountability in spending taxpayers’ money. According to a communique from Botswana Parliament, the main purpose for conducting training for members of PACs and O cials supporting PACs is to: Enhance the skills and knowledge of parliamentarians and o cials involved in parliamentary oversight; empower members of PACs and similar committees and o cials supporting PACs with the necessary tools and knowledge to facilitate robust oversight processes.
“e aim of Governance meetings is to facilitate e ective decision- making, collaboration, and communication among SADCOPAC members. Peer Review Programme aims to: Enhance accountability and e ectiveness of parliamentary oversight within the SADC Region. Facilitates mutual assessments among members; to identify strengths and areas for improvement in oversight practices.
Encourage culture of accountability and transparency among member states through constructive peer reviews. Foster the sharing of successful oversight strategies and methodologies.”
It states that the establishment and operation of Sub- Committees on the other hand aims to: Streamline e orts, focus expertise, and strengthen collaboration in key areas of parliamentary oversight and regional network dealing with accountability in the SADC Region; improve e ciency by creating specialized subcommittees focusing on thematic areas such as budget scrutiny, audit examination, legal and regulatory a airs, technology in oversight and capacity building; harness diverse expertise within SADCOPAC to address speci c challenges in public nancial management; and facilitate in- depth discussions and targeted actions in key oversight areas.