Conduct regional budget literacy workshops (PNG0033)

Commitment 8.4.5: Conduct Regional Budget Workshops

As part of citizen budgeting, NEFC, in partnership with INA and other government agencies, will conduct regional budget literacy workshops. This is a new commitment aimed at citizens at the subnational level. The aim is to increase citizens' understanding of budget appropriations and execution.

The regional budget workshop is the National Economic and Fiscal Commission (NEFC)'s priority program to monitor the Reform on Intergovernmental Financing Arrangements (RIGFA), which began in 2009. Over time, these workshops have become a key platform for NEFC to track how provinces use function grants, particularly for funding the Minimum Priority Activities (MPA). A secondary goal has been to promote sound public financial management practices by engaging key government agencies to share policy updates and reforms, while also learning from provinces on how the system operates in practice to inform future reforms as needed.

This commitment helps close the knowledge gap that limits citizen participation, transparency, and accountability in the management of public funds in PNG. It aims to improve budget literacy, enabling people to understand better and monitor how government funds are used in their provinces, districts, LLGs, and wards. It is also a tool the NEFC uses to track whether function grants are being used properly.

Tables 1-4 below provide a summary of the commitment's activities, key milestones, strategies, and indicators.

Table 1: Commitment 8.4.5: Conduct Regional Budget Workshops

Objective
Increase citizens' understanding of budget appropriation and execution (Increased Ownership and Accountability at the Subnational Level)

OGP Global Commitment MTDP IV DIPS OGP Commitment No. Activities
3 DIP 7.4 Public Finance Management Conduct a regional budget literacy workshop 4.5 Conduct regional budget trainings and workshops

No Deliverables (Milestones) Activities 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029
1 Develop regional workshop programs and schedule
Regional Budget Prepare workshop materials and logistics, including cost-of-service data, grant calculation sheets, and simplified budget guides.
Workshops Planned and Invite targeted participants (provincial officials, district reps, CSOs, and local leaders).
delivered Collect feedback and produce workshop reports, summarize key learnings, commitments, and follow-up actions.

Presentations delivered on NEFC roles, budget allocation methods, and provincial funding trends.
Stakeholder feedback is documented through surveys or discussions, identifying data gaps and implementation challenges

Table 3: Strategies
No Implementation Strategy Policy Reference
1 Effective resource mobilisation MTDP IV 2023-2027
2 Establish a partnership with national institutions and subnational governments MTDP IV, NEFC Corporate Plan 2023-2027
3 Effective coordination and conduct of citizen budget literacy trainings and workshops MTDP IV, NEFC Corporate Plan 2023-2027
4 Effective awareness and publicity MTDP IV, PFMA 1995, NEFC Corporate Plan 2023-2027
5 Effective delivery of planned workshops NEFC Corporate Plan 2023-2027

Table 4: Indicators
No Indicator Source Baseline (2024) 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029
1 Total number of workshops NEFC 4 4 4 4
2 Total number of workshop reports NEFC 4 4 4 4