The Southern Africa Development Community Organisation of Public Accounts Committees (SADCOPAC) in collaboration with the Parliament of Zambia hosted Governing Council Meetings and two-day training from 4th – 7th April2023, in Lusaka, Zambia. The sessions organized were attended by Hon. Churchill Gill and Hon. Georges Romain as Members of the Finance & Public Accounts Committee (FPAC), and accompanied by the Deputy Clerk to the National Assembly, Ms. Alexandria Faure, of whom is also the Secretary to the Committee.
On Monday 3rd April, the delegation participated in Courtesy Calls on the 2nd Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Zambia, Hon. Moses F. Moyo followed by a meeting with the Director of Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), Mr. Austin Kayanda. Hon. Moyo welcomed the large delegation to Zambia and addressed the importance parliamentary oversight on the expenditure of public funds by its public bodies; reiterating how the Public Accounts Committees promote and ensure the efficient management of public resources. Following the Courtesy Call on the 2nd Deputy Speaker, the delegation proceeded to meet with Mr. Kayanda at MISA Zambia whereby discussions on the role of the entity were discussed. Mr. Kayanda highlighted the collaborative relationship between MISA Zambia and the Public Accounts Committee of the Parliament of Zambia and described that MISA Zambia conducts its own media monitoring and maintains links with a number of sources to identify, document and publicize incidents where freedom of speech and the media has been violated. After the fruitful deliberations between the SADCOPAC delegation and Mr. Kayanda it was concluded that the media play a key role in providing transparency and the visibility of the Public Accounts Committees and the scrutiny work that they do in the interest of the public.
On Tuesday 4th April Hon. Gill, accompanied by the Deputy Clerk, represented the Chairperson of the FPAC, Hon. Sebastien Pillay at the Governing Council Meeting of SADCOPAC whereby they actively participated in discussions surrounding the strategic development of SADCOPAC, reviewed audit reports and agreements, as well as discussed on matters concerning the programme of activities for 2023/2024. The delegation pushed for further collaboration with international entities to build the capacity of the SADC Public Accounts Committees in illicit financial transaction investigations. Following the Governing Council meeting the delegation attend two courtesy calls on the Auditor General of Zambia, Dr. Dick Chella Sichembe and the Zambia Public Procurement Authority, headed by the Director General, Mrs. Idah C. Chella. Both meetings involved discussions on auditing processes, the independence of the Office of the AG, including how the Procurement authority are ensuring compliance to crucial laws and structures.
On the 5th and 6th April, the delegation participated in the two-day training which involved the attendance of Chairpersons and Members of the Public Accounts Committees (PAC) of the different Member States of SADCOPAC, as well as the Committee Clerks of the respective Committees. Presentations and discussions on conducting oversight on the illicit financial transaction investigations; the functions of the Zambian PAC; and the important relationship between PAC’s and law enforcement agencies. Whilst participating actively in the sessions Hon. Romain mentioned that “the workshop was very interesting and informative. I was able to familiarize myself on how Zambia's parliament implements its oversight and accountability on public accounts. I managed to network with many other members working on similar FPAC committees and realized that Seychelles’ FPAC is also functioning at a high level in doing its work.”
The delegates heavily discussed the importance of independent institutions and ways to improve their respective parliamentary procedures to strengthen the impact of the PACs. Benchmarking is an important process in Committee work and exchanging best practices and procedures are a critical method for parliamentarians and staff to continuously enhance and development oversight and scrutiny. The Members present addressed pertinent questions on practices of procurement oversight entities and auditor generals as key stakeholders for the respective public accounts committees. Hon. Gill mentioned that “the training was great given the number of years all these institutions have been in place; it is high time a very serious approach is taken for a comprehensive review. All these institutions are provided for in the constitution, and therefore warrant adequate funds to ensure better productivity to a level that gives confidence to all stake holders involved, knowing that the public funds are being spent in a more efficient and effective manner.”
Editor’s Notes: SADCOPAC is an autonomous and independent association of Public Accounts Committees from SADC states established to promote mutual support; foster the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and experiences; act as a recognized voice of Public Accounts Committees within the SADC community; and promote accountability, good governance, and transparency in the SADC states. The Member States are as follows, Seychelles, Angola, Botswana, DRC, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
