Liberia: Comptroller General Informs Bomi Citizens on PFM Processes
Kowo: ‘PFM is basically about government money, how the government generates and how the government spends it in the right interest of the country…’
— Says Gov’t will be more robust by reaching out to citizens in the 15 Counties
As part of ongoing efforts to create more awareness of the Public Financial Management (PFM) Act of 2009, Liberia's Comptroller and Accountant General, Janga Kowo over the weekend, engaged a cross-section of students, and administrative staff including other citizens of the Bomi Community College on the PFM processes.
Kowo's engagement with the people is aimed at informing them on the ways the government collects and spends public resources, and whether the expenditure of these resources is in the right direction for development purposes.
Held under the theme: “Public Financial Management & You” the event took place at the auditorium of Bomi Community College (BCC). Speaking at the opening, Kowo reaffirmed the government’s commitment through the Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development, revealing that public money will be spent in the right interest of all Liberians by providing resources in all sectors of the economy.
According to him, Public Financial Management is basically about the government's money, how the government generates and how the government spends it in the right interest of the country.
“PFM is basically about government money, how the government generates and how the government spends it in the right interest of the country” he added.
“I think it is about time we engage the public and inform all citizens across the fifteen counties on how government money is generated and spent for public use. When public money is collected and spent on citizens, it is called Public Financial Management in Actions. When the government provides free tuition, electricity, health, and education for the benefit of all, it is called PFM in action,” Kowo explains.
In 2018, the President of Liberia declared a tuition-free program for all public universities and colleges across the country, it is called Public Financial Management in action. Doctors and medical personnel were also sent to specialize in various medical disciplines, it is PFM in action, Kowo added.
The financial expert explained that going forward, the government will be more robust by reaching out to citizens across the 15 counties through public information and the ongoing Public Financial Management outreach to explain how the government collects resources and spends those resources in the right interest of all.
“Going forward the government will be more robust by reaching out to citizens across the fifteen counties through public information and the ongoing public financial management outreach to explain how the government collects resources and spends those resources in the right interest of all” he says.
The Comptroller and Accountants General believes that when public information is spread out to citizens on how the government collects national resources and how they are spending, citizens will be more informed about ongoing development across the country.