PUBLIC FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT IN AFRICA; Implications on Service Delivery in the Decentralized Government Units of Ghana by George Kojo Scott

Across Africa, Public Financial Management is an important aspect of Governance, and an essential tool for Accountability, as it assists in ensuring that public funds meant for the delivery of services are managed efficiently. This book provides detailed insightful discussions, and analyses public financial management as a system of six components namely; budgeting, revenue mobilization, public expenditure management, financial reporting, auditing and the regulatory framework.

It is a great pleasure to introduce to you the latest edition of AAPAM’s journal which has for many years served as a forum for debate and information pertaining to public administration and management in Africa. The journal has regularly tried to serve its readers by publishing articles that are a reflection of the changing landscape of public services in Africa. As a journal that is written both for academics and public servants, the journal has been a bridge which links to sometimes unduly separate worlds of government on the one hand and higher education on the other. The journal is firmly aligned to AAPAM’s commitment to promoting research aimed at contributing to solving the development needs of African states.

The African Journal for Public Administration and Management (AJPAM) is glad to bring to you its new edition. AJPAM brings together a wide variety of articles which have considerable relevance to African public services. The journal covers wide ranging topical current issues vital in the transformation of public administration for the development of Africa.

This special edition of the African Journal of Public Administration and Management (AJPAM) is developed out of a collaboration between the African Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM) and the Centre of Specialisation in Public Administration and Management (CESPAM). It is composed of some of the papers presented in CESPAM/YORK University Conference held on 9th to 10th June 2015 at the University of Botswana in Gaborone, Botswana under the theme, ‘New public sector reforms in Africa: connecting the dots’. The papers herein therefore discuss various topics under the overarching theme of public management for the attainment of sustainable development as highlighted in the author’s caption below.

This publication is drawn from reviewed papers presented during the 37th AAPAM Roundtable Conference held on 29th February to 4th March 2016 in Lusaka, Zambia under the theme Transforming Public Administration and Management (PAM) to contribute towards the Agenda 2063 within the context of the Sustainable Development Goals”. During the conference, it was noted that the transformation of public administration into an effective, coherent, representative, competent and democratic instrument for implementing government policies and meeting the needs and aspirations of the African people is critical. It was agreed that Africans need to deliberate, explore and propose concrete interventions towards transforming public administration and management in the continent.Transformation of the public sector is central to the realization of African Union Agenda 2063 within the Agenda for Sustainable Development.

This book emanates from the African Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM) 35th Roundtable Conference held in Kigali, Rwanda, from 18th – 22nd N

Citizens are no longer solely interested in the administration of laws but they are rather concerned with the quality of services that are delivered and the outcomes of the service that accrue to them from governmental interventions. In line with global trends, governments are moving from endless debates to effective implementation and decisive action, holding public office bearers and public servants accountable. The process of reform in public sector management has highlighted the fundamental dilemma of upholding the government’s role as a promoter of change as well as of stability and consensus. Creating conditions in the public sector which promote a culture of continuous improvement, foster innovation and capitalise on individual and team performance have been an ongoing challenge that governments are confronted with.

The 40^th Roundtable Conference held at the luxurious Nile Ritz Hotel in Cairo -Egypt. The conference centered on the theme 'Transforming Institutions in Africa for Sustainable Development'. The four-day event was hosted by the Arab Republic of Egypt through the Ministry of Planning, Monitoring, and Administrative Reform in collaboration with AAPAM and other partners. Six hundred and thirty-three (633) delegates from twenty-four (24) countries attended the conference with Egypt, Ghana, Malawi and Uganda recording the highest turnout respectively. Other countries represented include Benin, Belgium, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Mauritius, Morocco, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia and the USA.

The 2nd Public Service Productivity training was conducted by the African Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM) in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Service, Youth and Gender A­ airs- Republic of Kenya and the Kenya School of Government (KSG) from 15th to 18th April 2019, at KSG - Mombasa. This capacity development programme was designed for senior and top public and private sector managers, administrators, policy makers, development partners, academicians, researchers including secretaries of commissions/ corporations, departmental heads, directors, county secretaries and heads of divisions.

The African Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM) in collaboration with the Government of Botswana through its Directorate of Public Service Management (DPSM) held its 39^th Annual Roundtable Conference between 6 to 9 November 2018 at Fairgrounds Holdings in Gaborone, Botswana. The four-day international conference was hosted also in collaboration with other institutions like the University of Botswana and Botswana Public Service College (BPSC). The Government of Botswana was hosting an annual AAPAM conference for the third time having hosted the 1987 and 1997 Annual Roundtable conferences in the past.