From the 28th of September to the 6th of October 2023, the Southern Africa Development Community Organisation of Public Accounts Committees (SADCOPAC), in collaboration with the Parliament of South Africa, hosted the Governing Council Meetings, 15th Annual Conference, and 19th Annual General Meeting in South Africa. The Finance and Public Accounts Committee (FPAC) was represented by the Vice-Chairperson Hon. Terrence Mondon and Hon. Conrad Gabriel, with assistance from the Assistant Committee Secretary Ms. Sheryl Rangasamy.
The Governing Council Meetings of SADCOPAC consisted of the presentation of reports, namely the Governing Council Report 2023 presented by the SADCOPAC Secretary General Hon. Wynter Mmolotsi, and the Audited Financial Statements for the year ended 2022/2023 given by the Auditor General from Zimbabwe.
The 15th SADCOPAC Annual Conference took place on the 2nd and 3rd of October, under the theme “Enhancing Oversight for Advance Ethical Public Financial Management and Accountability Towards the Development of Africa”. Each day was divided into thematic sessions, with discussions and presentations given on topics such as “Public Financial Management in SADC Region and the Role of PAC”, “Public Financial Accountability Challenges for PACs”, “Coordinating the Public Sector to build Partnerships for Enhanced Ethical Public Financial Management and Accountability”, and “Social Mobilization and Empowerment for Effective Oversight of Public Financial Management and Accountability”. Hon. Mondon made a presentation on “Building Appropriate Capacity for Effective Public Accounts Committees”, after which all Members present were able to ask questions and share their respective experiences.
The Annual General Meeting was mostly comprised of discussions on the SADCOPAC Policies and its Financial Regulations and Development Partners. The reports presented in the Governing Council Meetings were again presented here for further discussion.
Editor’s Note: SADCOPAC is an autonomous and independent association of Public Accounts Committees from SADC states established to promote mutual support, accountability, and transparency, foster the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and experiences. The Member States are Seychelles, Angola, Botswana, DRC, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
