The Policy Forum's June Breakfast Debate brought together stakeholders to address critical issues surrounding budget transparency and public participation in Tanzania. The event, hosted in collaboration with HAKI Elimu and Stanbic Bank Biashara Incubator, focused on the findings of the Open Budget Survey 2023 (OBS 2023).
Godfrey Boniventura, head of programmes from HakiElimu kicked off the debate with an insightful presentation of the OBS 2023 key findings. Despite some progress, Tanzania's scores in public participation, transparency, and budget oversight remain areas of concern, especially when compared to neighboring countries like Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda.
Former Member of Parliament Hon. Zitto Kabwe delivered a passionate address, stressing the critical need for accessible and timely data to improve Tanzania's budget scores. "It's not rocket science," Kabwe remarked, urging the Ministry of Finance and Planning to make data availability a priority. He highlighted a significant disconnect between the government's rhetoric on public participation and its actual practices, criticizing the top-down budgeting approach that limits regional ownership and responsiveness to local needs.
The debate culminated in a series of impactful recommendations aimed at transforming Tanzania's budget process, these include; Urging the Ministry of Finance and Planning to promptly publish the enacted budget and mid-year/year-end reports online, establishing robust mechanisms for public engagement during budget formulation and implementation monitoring, allowing public testimony during parliamentary budget hearings to ensure diverse voices are heard, creating a committee to make the budget more accessible and understandable to the public and proposing a shift from "governance budget" to "citizen budget" to foster a sense of ownership and localization among the public.
The Policy Forum's June Breakfast Debate underscored the urgent need for Tanzania to enhance transparency, public participation, and budget oversight. By embracing these recommendations, the government can move towards a more citizen-centric budget process, promoting greater accountability and good governance.
This transformative approach promises not only to elevate Tanzania's scores in future budget surveys but also to build a more inclusive, transparent, and participatory fiscal landscape that truly reflects the needs and aspirations of its people.
The Policy Forum's June Breakfast Debate brought together stakeholders to address critical issues surrounding budget transparency and public participation in Tanzania. The event, hosted in collaboration with HAKI Elimu and Stanbic Bank Biashara Incubator, focused on the findings of the Open Budget Survey 2023 (OBS 2023).
Godfrey Boniventura, head of programmes from HakiElimu kicked off the debate with an insightful presentation of the OBS 2023 key findings. Despite some progress, Tanzania's scores in public participation, transparency, and budget oversight remain areas of concern, especially when compared to neighboring countries like Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda.
Former Member of Parliament Hon. Zitto Kabwe delivered a passionate address, stressing the critical need for accessible and timely data to improve Tanzania's budget scores. "It's not rocket science," Kabwe remarked, urging the Ministry of Finance and Planning to make data availability a priority. He highlighted a significant disconnect between the government's rhetoric on public participation and its actual practices, criticizing the top-down budgeting approach that limits regional ownership and responsiveness to local needs.
The debate culminated in a series of impactful recommendations aimed at transforming Tanzania's budget process, these include; Urging the Ministry of Finance and Planning to promptly publish the enacted budget and mid-year/year-end reports online, establishing robust mechanisms for public engagement during budget formulation and implementation monitoring, allowing public testimony during parliamentary budget hearings to ensure diverse voices are heard, creating a committee to make the budget more accessible and understandable to the public and proposing a shift from "governance budget" to "citizen budget" to foster a sense of ownership and localization among the public.
The Policy Forum's June Breakfast Debate underscored the urgent need for Tanzania to enhance transparency, public participation, and budget oversight. By embracing these recommendations, the government can move towards a more citizen-centric budget process, promoting greater accountability and good governance.
This transformative approach promises not only to elevate Tanzania's scores in future budget surveys but also to build a more inclusive, transparent, and participatory fiscal landscape that truly reflects the needs and aspirations of its people.
The Open Budget Survey 2023 can be found from this link