[ Interviews ]

Interviews

In the interviews the respondents explain the value added and the challenges of budget support from the point of view of their field of work and in the context of their partner country.

Benin: “In Africa’s Swiss neighbourhood”
Chabi Bah Guera, Mayor of the Municipality of N’Dali, Benin

Budget support takes up the idea of financial compensation, which has proven itself in Switzerland, at the international level. Equalising measures between economically weaker and stronger cantons, regions and communities are undisputed. Based on trust the equalisation of resources within Switzerland is even taking place without conditions.

Interview with Chabi Bah Guera

Benin: “The budget is a country’s lifeline”
Epiphane Quenum, Member of Parliament in Benin

Budget support increases the financial and political leeway which partner governments have in order to pursue their own priorities in a constructive manner. More external resources together with the mobilisation of their own revenues facilitate the partner countries’ efforts in assigning priority to specific regions or sectors, to initiate infrastructure projects and to the ease wide spread damage inflicted by the current economic crisis.

Interview with Epiphane Quénum

Burkina Faso is fighting corruption: “We want deeds instead of words”
Representatives of REN-LAC, the national network in the fight against corruption in Burkina Faso

Budget support strengthens a partner country’s state institutions. These include, for example, a functioning tax authority, a fair public service or an impartial judicial system. There is no way around establishing and expanding such basic public institutions, if employment opportunities are to be created at a large scale and the Millennium Development Goals to be met in a sustainable manner.

Interview

Burkina Faso is building on education
Alfred L. Sawadogo, Director of Burkina Faso’s Eastern Region in the Ministry of Primary Education and Alphabetisation in Burkina Faso

Budget support contributes significantly to establishing and expanding social services such as the education and health system. The quantitative expansion of primary and secondary schools as well as health services has been documented broadly. There is a need for catching up when it comes to quality issues.

Interview with Alfred L. Sawadogo

Interviews

Ghana: “Trust has returned”
Elsie Enninful Adu, General Manager of Fidelity Capital Partners, Ghana

Budget support provides the basis for new employment and income opportunities. It is neither the government’s task nor is it in a position to create sufficient jobs itself. However, it can offer attractive framework conditions to farmers, the manufacturing industry and service providers. The business environment’s predictability facilitates local as well as international investments.

Interview with Elsie Enninful Adu

How Ghana scrutinizes the use of public funds
Adjeinim Boateng Adjei, Chief Executive Officer of the Public Procurement Authority in Ghana

Budget support contributes directly to an citizen friendly and economic manner of dealing with public finances. Modernising the state budget’s management, internal and external controls and the fight against corruption are focus areas of budget support and the partner countries have come a long way in this respect. African tax payers and foreign aid donors are in the same boat.

Interview with Adjeinim Boateng Adjei

Nicaragua: Independent audit of the state budget – What are the benefits for the population?
Representatives of the General Board of Audit in Nicaragua

Budget support permits strengthening the government’s transparency and accountability towards parliament and the people in a targeted manner. This nourishes social dynamics beyond technical reforms, which is why the public’s and media’s access to information, the expansion of various instruments in parliament and dialogue with civil society enjoy high priority in many countries.

Interview

Tanzania: “Reducing foreign aid dependency has priority”
Benno J. Ndulu, Governor of the Bank of Tanzania

Budget support improves the quality of live of the poorer population groups. It nourishes the ground for a sustainable general economic governance and stabilisation. The partner governments are encouraged to assign priority to those expenses which are important in the fight against poverty. Budget support namely improves access to vital services for a large segment of the population and increases the state’s predictability and efficiency in order to make way for economic growth and public safety.

Interview with Benno J. Ndulu