The West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management (WAIFEM) in collaboration with Centre for Financial Journalism (CFJ Nigeria) is organising a Workshop on Budget Monitoring and Reporting for Financial Analysts and Journalists. The five-day workshop is scheduled for July 17-21, 2017 at the Central Bank of Nigeria’s International Training Institute (ITI) Abuja and is funded by the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) and WAIFEM.

The Workshop will draw participants from West African countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin Republic, Niger, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali and Guinea Bissau. The participants will come from the Central Banks and Ministry of Finance of the various West African countries, the West African Monetary Institute (WAMI), West African Monetary Agency (WAMA), BCEAO, ECOWAS  and Media Houses (Television, Radio, Newspapers and Online publications) in the west coast.

According to a statement issued in Lagos by WAIFEM and CFJ Nigeria, the objective of the workshop is to sharpen the skills of Financial Analysts in public institutions and the fourth estate of the realm in budget tracking, monitoring and reporting. This, the organizations said, is to enable them to track, monitor and report the annual budgets of national and sub-nationals to ensure accountability and transparency in all phases of the budget process since these are prerequisites for effective and efficient service delivery and inclusive government.

Economists and financial experts have been lined up to facilitate at the workshop. They include Director General of West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management, Professor Akpan H. Ekpo; Advisor, Business Development and Consultancy Unit of WAIFEM, Professor Douglason G. Omotor; Chief Consultant, B. Adedipe Associates, Dr. Biodun Adedipe; President/CEO, Time Economics, Dr. Ogho Okiti, and Chief Executive of Centre for Financial Journalism, Mr. Ray Echebiri.

File photo: Prof Akpan Ekpo, DG WAIFEM