Public finance managers are being asked to deliver more with tighter resources, to show citizens and legislators what each unit of spending achieves, and to protect the budget from shocks that originate outside it. Line-item budgeting tells decision-makers what is bought but not what is accomplished, and contingent liabilities from guarantees, public-private partnerships and state enterprises can turn into direct costs with little warning. Strong leadership is needed to change how budgets are prepared, debated and monitored.

The Leadership and Performance in Budgeting, Fiscal Risk & Outcome-Based Budgeting Training Course combines the technical tools of performance budgeting and fiscal risk management with the leadership skills needed to embed them. The first part of the week examines the budget cycle, medium-term frameworks and the design of programme structures with clear objectives, outputs, outcomes and indicators. Participants then explore how performance information feeds spending reviews, budget negotiations and accountability reporting. The second half turns to identifying, quantifying, disclosing and mitigating fiscal risks, from macroeconomic shocks to PPP and SOE exposures, and ends with leading reform: sequencing changes, building coalitions and managing resistance.

Sessions use budget documents, programme structures and risk data from realistic public sector settings. Participants restructure a ministry budget around outcomes, build a simple fiscal risk register and prepare a reform roadmap for their institution.

The programme enables participants to:

• Design programme-based budget structures with coherent objectives, outputs, outcomes and indicators.
• Link medium-term expenditure frameworks to strategic plans and annual budgets.
• Use performance information in budget hearings, spending reviews and accountability reports.
• Identify and quantify fiscal risks from macroeconomic shocks, guarantees, PPPs and state-owned enterprises.
• Prepare a fiscal risk statement and propose practical mitigation measures.
• Benchmark budget and fiscal risk practice using PEFA indicators.
• Lead budget reform by building coalitions, sequencing change and managing performance.

Public finance professionals who prepare, oversee or scrutinise budgets will find it relevant, including:

• Budget directors and heads of budget departments
• Economists and fiscal analysts in ministries of finance and treasuries
• Planning and monitoring officers in line ministries
• Accounting officers and chief finance officers of public bodies
• Debt management, PPP and SOE oversight unit staff
• Parliamentary budget office and budget committee staff
• Finance managers in local and regional governments
• Public financial management advisers with development partners

Concrete outputs from the week include:

• A restructured programme budget for a sample ministry, complete with outcome indicators.
• A performance dialogue agenda for meetings with spending agencies.
• A fiscal risk register covering guarantees, PPPs, SOEs and macroeconomic shocks.
• An outline fiscal risk statement ready to adapt to their own budget documents.
• A PEFA-based self-assessment of strengths and gaps in their budget system.
• A personal reform roadmap with milestones and key stakeholders.

The week blends technical labs with leadership practice drawn from budget offices. Methods include:

• Analysis of sample budget documents, programme structures and fiscal risk statements
• Spreadsheet labs for stress-testing projections and costing guarantees
• Budget hearing role plays between finance ministry and agency teams
• Group critique of reform experiences from different countries
• Individual coaching on each participant's reform roadmap

Those who complete the full programme, including the budget restructuring task and the fiscal risk register, are awarded a CPD-accredited Certificate of Completion issued by Vision Reach Global Consultancy.