WEDNESDAY, 16 AUGUST 2017
We are very pleased to welcome you here to participate and share in the second African Parliamentary Budget Office Conference. Thank you for coming. Many of you travelled from abroad, from other continents, from Africa and long distances within South Africa. We all share a commitment to enhance the role of Parliaments in their pursuit of better governance, oversight and economic development. Our efforts can help improve the security and well-being of the people of Africa and the world.
As I said in my speech at the first African PBO Conference last year, South Africa shares the vision of the Africa presented in Agenda 2063. Our vision is to promote and contribute to sustainable development, democracy, the rule of law, human rights, and peace and security, within a safe, peaceful and prosperous Southern African Region and Africa, as well as a fair and just world
The Parliament of South Africa is committed to this agenda and it is part of the reason that we host this conference. Our present generations are acting to shape the future they want. We are committed to the common vision of “an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by Africans to represent a dynamic force in the global arena “.
The conference last year saw the launch of an African Network of Parliamentary Budget Offices (AN-PBO). This second conference is the fruit of this network. I am happy to hear that the representation from African PBOs at the conference this year is better and we are proud to welcome representatives involved in setting up new PBOs in our neighbouring countries. In this conference, we look forward to hear more about the work and progress in African PBOs over the past year.
We have seen the positive impact of our South African Parliamentary Budget Office grow since its inception in 2013. We look forward to an even better PBO because of its learning and sharing as part of the African Network of PBOs. This conference will provide space for our PBO and the other African PBOs to share experiences with regard to implementation of their functions of supporting legislatures in fiscal matters. I am pleased that we can also learn from our esteemed guests from other parts of the world who have come to share their wealth of experience with us.
I am also pleased to see that many of the honourable Members of the South African Parliament, including the Chairs of the Finance and Appropriations and other Committees are at this conference. We are also very glad to welcome members of Provincial legislatures. We are joined by researchers and content advisors of our parliamentary committees and officials from the National Treasury and other government departments. The office of the Auditor General, the Finance and Fiscal Commission and civil society organisations also join us today. Indeed, we are fortunate to have so much expertise and experience with regard to promoting good governance and transparency with regard to economic and fiscal matters.
We are also very pleased to have good representation from the media, as it is important for the public to hear positive news about the oversight role of their elected representatives and the support they receive from PBOs. We are glad that they are here to share the good news that African PBOs are working together to support better oversight and transparency in budgetary matters.
The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa that was promulgated in 1996 required that an Act of Parliament must provide for a procedure to amend money Bills before Parliament. In 2009, the Money Bills Amendment Procedure and Related Matters Act was promulgated to give effect to the requirements of the Constitution. The objective of this Act is to provide for procedure to amend money bills before Parliament and for norms and standards for amending money bills before provincial legislatures and related matters. Section 15 of the Act establishes a South African Parliamentary Budget Office.
The role of the Parliamentary Budget Office is to provide independent, objective and professional advice and analyses to Parliament on matters related to the budget and other money bills. The Office must support the implementation of the Money Bills Act by undertaking research and analysis for the Finance and Appropriations committees in both houses of Parliament. And indeed, this is what the Office is doing and many more initiatives are making an impact on Parliament’s oversight role in transformation.
We are pleased to have Professor Mohammed Jahed, the director of the South African PBO, with us today. Professor Jahed was the driving force behind the establishment of the PBO. Professor Jahed and his team’s efforts have been appreciated by political party leaders and civil society organisations interested in fiscal matters. We thank him and his team for their efforts in hosting this conference and providing this opportunity for the African Network of PBOs to share with us all.
Once again, welcome to you all and thank you for being here. We look forward to the deliberations over the next 2 days and we wish the African Network of PBOs much success in their work after the conference.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
Enquiries: Moloto Mothapo 082 370 6930
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