Contrôle budgétaire en Afrique francophone et le rôle des parlementaires - Etude de cas du
Bénin, Burkina Faso, Madagascar, Mali et Rwanda (2007) (in French only)

This study focuses on parliamentary oversight in the budget process in five francophone countries namely, Benin, Burkina Faso, Madagascar, Mali and Rwanda. The objective is to assess the level of involvement of the Members of Parliament in the annual budget development and approval, as well as their participation in the monitoring of the budget, in order to indentify strengths and weaknesses and to collect best practices that can be shared with other parliaments and partners of the Parliamentary Centre.

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Legislating Poverty in Africa: What Role Have Parliamentarians Been Playing in PRSP Implementation and Policy? (2007)

Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) which appear to be the key development strategy with a promise to moving most developing countries out of their current ‘development impasse’ have gained considerable support in Africa in recent years. However, the immense potential of this strategy is at risk of being lost if proper policies are not put in place to ensure effective implementation. In order to ensure effective implementation of pro-poor policies and programs, greater recognition has been given to parliamentarians’ crucial role in the oversight and monitoring of PRSPs especially through budget oversight. After 5 years of design, implementation and revision of PRSPs in Africa, it is appropriate to assess the roles parliamentarians have been playing in the PRSP, how effective these have been, what potential impacts they have had on PRS implementation and policy, with specific focus on the budget process.   

This work builds on the PC’s 2004 four country study on PRSPs in Africa. With support from the World Bank Institute (WBI), the PC decided to undertake a seven country study to assess whether or not there have been improvements in the role of Parliaments since the previous study.  The cases include the four original countries – Ghana, Niger, Tanzania, Malawi – and three other countries – Kenya, Senegal and Zambia.

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PRSPs in Africa: Parliaments and Economic Policy Performance

In 2004, the Africa Team conducted a progress review, appraising Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP) and parliamentary participation in four countries: Ghana, Malawi, Niger, and Tanzania. Funded by GTZ , the German technical co-operation agency, the appraisal was designed to provide a broad, first-hand overview of how the PRSP process functions in these four representative countries, in order to determine the advantages and drawbacks (good practices and concerns) of parliamentary participation in the process to date, and to suggest future approaches and initiatives. More specifically, the review focused on examining parliamentary role on monitoring and evaluation, representation of the poor (including dissemination of information and creating understanding), and economic policy-making.

A two-step approach was applied in each country. The first step involved roundtable consultations bringing together parliamentarians, researchers, and representatives of government departments responsible for the PRSP process and groups from civil society. The second step involved visits in the field with parliamentarians and representatives of civil society, to ensure direct interaction with poorer communities. For each of the brief but intense missions, a series of reference documents were prepared, including a study for each country commissioned from a local research institute.

On the whole, the appraisal highlighted poor participation by parliaments in the process, lack of executive commitment in implementing policies to help the poor, gaps in gender considerations, pro-poor spending not being followed in budget performance, insufficiency in reaching the poor.

Nonetheless, parliamentary committees dealing with poverty reduction issues are being established in the four countries and elsewhere in Africa with at their core energetic and enthusiast MPs who look forward to undertake monitoring work. Moreover, active partnerships are also emerging between key institutions and parliamentary committees, as well as between parliamentary committees and civil society.

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Parliamentary Audits

The Parliamentary Center’s poverty team, with support from the World Bank Institute, undertook parliamentary audits of the budget process in six APRN member countries, namely Benin, Ghana, Kenya, Niger, Senegal and Tanzania. The study asks two important questions: 1) How effective has parliamentary involvement in the Poverty Reduction Strategy process been? and 2) What impact have these interventions had on PRS implementation and policy, with specific focus on the budget process?

A careful analysis of the six cases reveals some positive emerging trends. Across the board, there is a significant improvement in parliamentary involvement in pro-poor policies. Parliaments are beginning to assert themselves and demand their rightful place within the realm of policy that affects the poor. Another area of improvement is the linkages between parliament and civil society. In a number of countries, parliaments and civil society groups have moved beyond the 'mutual suspicion' that has characterized their relations in the past. They are beginning to create a common platform 'in the interest of the poor'. However, in general budgets are not properly followed by the executive and there is poor monitoring to ensure effective implementation.

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