wbg - clerk learning in eastern and southern africa

Clerk community!supporting the role of Public Accounts Committees in

Eastern and Southern Africa!

Kampala!May 2013!

Arusha!Sept 2013!

Juba!Nov 2013!

Gauteng!Feb 2014!

Maputo!June 2014!

Leadership groups!

Good practice guide!

Clerk attachment process !

Learning partnership!

Clerk challenges!

Future direction!

Clerk community!

wiki, newsletters, mailing list!

A learning partnership!Arusha, September 2013!

Shared learning agenda!

Case clinics!

Preparing a “pitch”!

Working on issues!Juba, November 2013!

“Unclear !job description”!

“Misreporting !by the media”!

Why is good media reporting important…!

!to you?!

!to all stakeholders?!

!

What principles could we adhere to to

achieve our purpose?!

I realized that it is not easy for a member of the media to find someone to give them

information when they come to Parliament!

Not everyone in Parliament is a reliable source. The wrong

person could be giving you the information (Media)!

So I gave members of the media my full contact details so they can contact me directly

when they want information about PAC business!

Harriet Judua, PAC clerk, South Sudan!

Ongoing and co-facilitated!Gauteng, February 2014!

Report back on attachments!

My attachment was one week in Uganda!

I noticed that the media was allowed to use electronic devices during the Committee proceedings.!

Standing Orders in Botswana are not clearly defined - the PAC could decide to hold its proceedings in

private …!

Once I finished the Attachment Program I presented a report to the Committe how the Standing Order could

be amended. The PAC is now considering the amendment to allow the …use of electronic devices!

Bame Letsatle, PAC clerk, Botswana!

I spent two weeks observing the South African Standing Committee on

Public Accounts (SCOPA) to understand the powers and functions

of the Committee and the role of clerks in supporting committee work!

I was interested to notice that SCOPA received written submissions and answers to audit queires from the

Executive well in advance of a hearing… In Zanzibar the Committee did not have a formal mechanism to

receive government responses before hearings!

Even while still in South Africa I contacted the PAC chair of Zanzibar and shared my findings. The Chair agreed and the Zanzibar PAC began to implement this reform, improving the

quality of discussions during hearings as members are prepared in advance and able to ask more targeted questions!

Othman Haji, PAC clerk, Zanzibar!

“Inconclusive disposal of audit queries”!

Distributed community!

Newsletter!

Wiki!

Mailing list!

Lessons!•  Strategic conversations between the Executive,

development partners, and community leaders, have to happen on an ongoing basis!

•  Enabling conditions, including a pro-active and entrepreneurial Secretariat, need to be in place!

•  Community-friendly data collection needs to be integrated into community activites to help make informed decisions about “what works”!