Public financial management reforms across Africa and beyond are moving from inputs and line items toward budgets that show what citizens receive for their money. At the same time, shocks to revenue, exchange rates, interest costs and contingent liabilities have made fiscal risk disclosure a central test of budget credibility. Officials who can combine sound budget preparation with rigorous risk analysis and performance information are in short supply.

The Planning and Implementation of Budgeting, Fiscal Risk & Outcome-Based Budgeting Training Course runs over two weeks. In the first, participants master the technical foundations: the budget cycle and legal framework, macro-fiscal forecasting, setting ceilings, bottom-up costing, medium-term frameworks, budget documentation and legislative scrutiny. The second week builds on these foundations by teaching how to identify and quantify fiscal risks, then how to restructure budgets around programmes, outputs and outcomes, set indicators and targets, and monitor execution and results.

Participants spend much of the time in spreadsheet and case-based work. They build forecasting and costing models, draft a fiscal risk statement and prepare a programme budget submission, and the final days are devoted to an integrated exercise that pulls the elements together and is reviewed by facilitators and peers.

At the end of the ten days, participants will be able to:

• Explain the stages, actors and legal framework of the public budget cycle.
• Prepare macro-fiscal forecasts and derive consistent revenue and expenditure ceilings.
• Cost programmes and activities using unit costs, norms and realistic assumptions.
• Develop a medium-term expenditure framework and budget documentation.
• Identify, classify and quantify fiscal risks, including contingent liabilities and arrears.
• Prepare scenario and sensitivity analyses for revenue, debt and expenditure.
• Restructure line-item budgets into programme and outcome-based formats with indicators.
• Monitor budget execution, cash plans and performance results through in-year reports.

The programme is aimed at professionals who prepare, review or scrutinise public budgets, including:

• Budget directors and budget analysts in finance ministries
• Planning officers and economists in ministries, departments and agencies
• County, municipal and local authority finance teams
• Treasury, debt management and cash management staff
• Internal auditors and public accountants
• Parliamentary and county assembly committee staff
• Finance managers in state corporations and development projects
• Donor and development partner public finance advisers

Participants return to work with:

• A working spreadsheet model for medium-term revenue and expenditure forecasts.
• A programme costing template with unit costs and assumptions.
• A draft fiscal risk statement with quantified scenarios.
• A programme structure with outputs, outcomes and performance indicators for their sector.
• A budget execution and cash plan monitoring tool.
• A reform action plan for strengthening budget credibility in their organisation.

The two weeks are built around practice and are taught through:

• Concise technical presentations followed by guided spreadsheet modelling
• Costing and forecasting exercises using realistic public sector data
• Case studies of budget reform and fiscal crises in different regions
• Role plays of executive review and legislative committee hearings
• A group capstone project reviewed by facilitators and peers

Participants who attend all ten days and complete the modelling exercises and capstone project are awarded a CPD-accredited Certificate of Completion issued by Vision Reach Global Consultancy.