Ghana is currently preparing for its fourth PEFA at central government level to help assess progress in the ongoing public financial management (PFM) reform agenda. To help the Government maximize the benefits from the assessment, the PEFA Secretariat recently delivered a training program to more than 50 participants.

Data collection for the PEFA assessment is due to commence in February 2018 and the training was specifically timed to target those government officials who will be most involved in the assessment process. 

The purpose of the training was to provide officials involved in data collection and dissemination to the PEFA team with an overview of the methodology and use of PEFA assessments as part of the PFM reform dialogue and planning process. 

The participants proved to be a very lively group, demonstrating a keen interest in the PEFA framework, even though most of them had never been involved in previous assessments, as the last assessment in Ghana was in 2013. 

Participants were very satisfied with the training and rated the program highly in the post-training content quiz. One participant said, “I really enjoyed the training, particularly the high level of involvement by trainees. The quizzes were fun and helped to develop skills at the same time.” 

During a vote of thanks to trainers, participants stated that, “not only did the exercises improve our knowledge of PEFA but they provided an opportunity to share our impressions and exchange views on the importance of results and their relevance to our own country.”

The PEFA assessment has been requested by the Government of Ghana and will be undertaken as a joint government-development partner assessment. The assessment will be jointly led by the Government and the World Bank in close collaboration with other development partners, including the European Union, Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs – SECO, International Monetary Fund, the UK's Department for International Development, Embassies of Denmark and Japan, German Corporation for International Cooperation GmbH – GIZ, and the African Development Bank.

The training was conducted from January 22—23, 2018 at the World Bank office in Accra in cooperation with the World Bank and other development partners.