Ensuring appropriate linkage of budgets to policies is a key challenge for all countries, especially those seeking to reform and strengthen their public expenditure management systems. The seminar addressed the key weaknesses that cause disparities between planning and budgeting systems in many African countries.

The seminar explored the six phases of the policy cycle

• Setting the policy agenda
• Translating political objectives into sound policy proposals
• Designing programmes to achieve policy objectives
• The politics of the budget process
• Challenging the budget
• Developing systems and instruments of monitoring and evaluation