The Supreme State Audit Office of Cameroon (CONSUPE) has launched a three-day capacity-building workshop in Garoua. Opened on Tuesday, the workshop aims to strengthen public finance management and prevent losses to the state treasury in four of the country’s regions.
It brings together regional delegates and credit authorizing officers from the East, Adamawa, Far North and North regions. Opening the workshop, the Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of CONSUPE, Mbah Acha née Fomundam, said the program is designed to give participants a better understanding of management irregularities, management faults, financial losses and the liabilities arising from poor practices.
The training is part of a broader strategy to improve the governance of public finances, which directly affects the implementation of public projects, the delivery of services and the execution of state budgets. It is supported by the Public Finance Governance Support Project, known by its French acronym PAGFIP, with backing from the African Development Bank.
Addressing participants, the minister called on regional delegates to demonstrate greater rigor, professionalism and exemplary conduct in their administrative duties. She also reminded public spending managers that breaches of public finance regulations may result in administrative, financial or criminal sanctions.
According to CONSUPE, field assessments have identified recurring management challenges among regional officials, particularly insufficient knowledge of the laws and procedures governing the use of public funds. The workshop seeks to address these gaps through practical guidance and awareness sessions.
“Many of them do not fully master the laws and rules governing the management of public funds. That is what has led us to organize this pedagogical support mission for them. During this workshop, we will jointly identify the acts and behaviors that constitute management faults,” Mbah Acha said.
“The regional delegates are the operational arms of the state in the regions,” she added, noting that similar workshops had already been held in Douala and Bamenda.
The Garoua workshop is the latest phase of a nationwide capacity-building campaign targeting public officials responsible for authorizing and managing government expenditure. By focusing on prevention and compliance, the program seeks to improve oversight of public resources at the regional level.
Mercy Fosoh