FIRST COURSE ON NEW MEFMI E-LEARNING PORTAL SUCCESFULLLY COMPLETED

In an effort to expand training outreach to Member States, and to minimize training costs, MEFMI embarked on an Electronic Learning (e-learning) Programme in 2015. During this period until June 2016, the Institute collaborated with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research and delivered six (6) e-learning courses.  Evaluations from these courses indicates that this mode of delivery improved access for participants who are not, otherwise, able to attend a traditional, campus-based or face-to-face workshop. E-leaning has also provided participants with greater flexibility as they can decide when and where to access the content throughout the duration of the course.

In September 2016, MEFMI launched its own online portal “https://elearning.mefmi.org/” by conducting an e-learning course on ‘Introduction to Public Expenditure and Financial Management (IPEFM). This course was conducted from 5 September 2016 to 14 October 2016 and targeted officials from Central Banks and Ministries of Finance/Planning. The main objective of this six (6) week course was to bring to the fore, the role of public expenditure management in the macroeconomic framework.

Much of the course content was based on the MEFMI Public Expenditure and Financial Management (IPEFM) Handbook of 2008. The IPEFM course was also used as a pilot to test the new MEFMI e-learning portal. The course covered 5 modules, namely:

i. Module 1: Introduction, Institutional & Legal Frameworks and Public Financial Management Reforms;

ii. Module 2: Planning, Policy Analysis, Taxation and External Resource Mobilization;

iii. Module 3: Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and Budget Preparation, Implementation and Monitoring;

iv. Module 4: Accounting, Auditing and Financial Reporting; and

v. Module 5: Fiscal Policy Management.

A total of 37 out of 38 participants successfully completed the course, representing a completion rate of 97%. Of the successful participants, the female and male participants accounted for 37% and 63%, respectively.

The main outputs from the course were:

• The Institute imparted knowledge on various aspects of public expenditure and financial Management, particularly legal frameworks, financial management reforms, resource mobilization (internal and external); Medium term Expenditure frameworks, Auditing, fiscal planning, policy analysis and fiscal policy management.

• 37 participants were trained, which is more than the number that is usually trained in an average regional 2 week residential workshop. 

• Successful delivery of the first e-learning course on the new MEFMI e learning portal

The course resource team was made up of Mr. Fred Owegi (Kenyan National Treasury, Kenya); Mr. Max Ochai (MEFMI Graduate Fellow in Public Expenditure Management and Parcus Consulting, Uganda); Ms. Shula Mulenga-Sikaona, MEFMI Graduate Fellow in Public Expenditure Management (Bank of Zambia) and Mr. Sayed Timuno, Programme Manager, MEFMI.