New committee will control State spending

THE Department of Finance has established a committee  to co-ordinate and strengthen expenditure control and accountability mechanisms.
The Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability Programme was launched last Thursday and its national management committee held its inaugural meeting in Port Moresby yesterday.
Acting Secretary for Finance Dr Ken Ngangan described the committee and its work as “very important” and one that was close to his heart.
He said that in view of the large annual government budgets, a large portion of which was going into the provinces and districts, the public financial management system needed to be strengthened to ensure the funds were being used correctly and effectively.
“The programme and the work of the committee is important in achieving this outcome and also in demonstrating confidence to PNG’s development partners that their technical and financial assistance through their respective aid programmes were being put to good use,”  Ngangan said.
He called on development partners to realign their aid programmes and activities in the country.
He said aid should be Papua New Guinea-led, better co-ordinated and transparent to all parties concerned through sharing of information.
He said all aid should be put in the one basket, which was the national budget to be used in ways determined by the  government.
Representatives from the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme and AusAID were present when Ngangan first made the call last Thursday.
He repeated his remarks at yesterday’s meeting.