Linpico News and Job Opportunities

With the aim of improving the effectiveness of public finance management (PFM) in STP, the government has developed a PFM reform strategy (ERGFP) for the 2020-2023 horizon, structured into 8 specific objectives and 8 operational programs and which will be implemented as part of its second Public Finance Reform Plan (PARFIP II).

This project provided the Government of São Tomé and Príncipe and its sectoral technical ministries with advice and technical assistance (TA) to achieve the objectives of the ERGFP, through the provision of 2 experts, in support of the Office of public finance reforms (GARFIP) of the Ministry of Finance, Planning and the Blue Economy (MFPEA), over the period 2021-2023. The operationalization of the AT was carried out thanks to the work carried out by the 2 Linpico experts.

Despite the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2022 electoral process, the TA has always been The TA carried out all the activities planned in the initial Project Activity Plan and supported GARFIP in the following areas :

• Define/clarify the modus operandi of the reform, including the implementation plan of the Action Plan for Public Finance Reform (PARFIP II) and the preparation of a PFM reform implementation manual (MIR), which covers the execution of activities at all levels. /entities involved, including the organization and operationalization of the Reform Steering Committee (CD);
• Harmonize interventions and financing of PFM reforms, through the structuring, organization and support for the functioning of the Dialogue Body (DI);
• Adapt/revise the legal provisions of the reform process and the subsequent governance structure of GARFIP and other relevant entities;
• Update PARFIP II, define reform priorities and develop a scheduled action plan, allowing monitoring of the plan at the end of each year;
• Train and empower employees involved in the reforms, using training modules in key areas of PFM and project management;
• Support GARFIP in the development and operationalization of a monitoring and evaluation (M&A) system for the implementation of PFM reforms, including the development and use of the quarterly and annual reporting template on the implementation of reforms;
• Support GARFIP in leading the coordination of the GFP working group (dialogue body), in the process of implementing the reforms provided for in the action plan and its monitoring;
• Provide ongoing support upon request of GARFIP;
• Develop and implement Quick Wins , to achieve the success indicators of the ERGFP 2020-2023, that is to say the improvement of a maximum of 10 performance indicators;
• Prepare and submit to the MPFEA (December 2023), the new ERGFP reform strategy 2024-2027, with its activity plan – PARFIP III;

Linpico appeals to everyone’s generosity to contribute donations to the Yorenka Tasorentsi Institute to help the victims of the floods.

PLEASE DONATE USING THE FOLLOWING LINK : Flood relief – Inundações no Acre | Doare

LINPICO focuses particularly on issues impacting on the environment and climate change, not only in its international development activities, but within its company itself and from a global perspective.

As such, Linpico is interested in the activities of associations and institutions such as the Yorenka Tasorenti Institute, “an indigenous-led institution in Brazil that integrates traditional knowledge with modern technique as a response to current planetary challenges. Their work is focused on regenerating and preserving the Amazon Rainforest to guarantee a future where all living beings can live in harmony with nature”.

Their work focuses on recovery of degraded areas, regenerative natural ecosystems, wildlife conservation, sustainable social solutions, education and community, traditional knowledge and cultural heritage.

Their founder Benki Piyako is an indigenous, political and spiritual leader from the Ashaninka tribe. He began his reforestation and community-building projects in 2007. Along with his team he has accomplished the following:

• 40 nearby communities trained in agroforestry systems impacting more than 4000 people in the region
• 60+ young leaders trained in agroforestry and actively participated in major reforestation efforts
• Over 2 million trees plantes
• 26 fish ponds created to develop pisciculture systems where fish are fed with only natural foods and avoiding intensive fishing
• 1000+ people treated through traditional means
• Initial animal conservation: 15000 turtle’s, 250 turoises, monkeys, pigs and tapirs
• Creation of 800 beehives, home to 80 000 bees
• Asssiting in the revival of traditional heritage of indigeneous tribes that had lost touch with their cultural practices through colonization

For more information on the Yorenka Tasorentsi Institute visit their website: https://yorenkatasorentsi.org/

Unfortunately, after facing dramatic fires in August and September 2023 which devastated over 1330 hectares of rainforest, which will necessitate more than 5 years of replanting,  from last week the state of Acre in Brasil Region has been facing violent floods, with a catastrophic impact on all the work that has been undertaken by the Yorenka Tasorentsi Institute.

The people in Acre have been severely affected. The Government of Acre declared a state of emergency for 17 municipalities, including Marechal Thaumaturgo, affected by flooding from rivers and streams this past Sunday (February 25th).

The riverside inhabitants, in particular, face widespread devastation. Their fields and fish ponds, a source of food and livelihood, have been completely submerged by the waters. Families do not have access to food or electricity. Approximately 20,000 people are affected of which 2,000 have lost their homes and belongings. It is a desperate situation for the community

Yorenka Tasorentsi Institute is raising money to support the Asheninka people and Linpico appeals to everyone’s generosity to contribute to this worthwhile cause.

Please also consult the Arte Television series of documentaries: “The guardians of the forest”  : 

https://www.arte.tv/fr/videos/RC-024524/gardiens-de-la-foret/

We are very happy to announce that Linpico has been selected to lead 3 Lots of the Framework Contract of the European Union for the Services for External Action (SEA 2023): Lot 6 (Budget Support, PFM, DRM and Statistics), Lot 14 (Migration and Forced Displacement), and Lot 16 (Intervention-level evaluations). We will also be a partner on 3 other lots. We are incredibly proud of our team who managed this impressive success.

We will now be expanding the FWC Department to respond to the increased demand coming from leading two more lots than on the EU SIEA 2018 FWC, where we led Lot 5 (PFM and Budget Support). If you would like to join us in this exciting moment, to continue building our FWC project portfolio, please send your CV to [email protected]. We are looking for project managers with proven success in winning EU-funded development projects, FWC are an advantage.

We would like to also thank our partners, for trusting us to lead our consortia in this endeavour, and for their inputs and patience throughout the whole process. We look forward to working with all of you.

The PATF now has a revamped and fully operational website. The official launch took place on June 15, 2023, during a hybrid ceremony that brought together in-person speakers and online participants. This marks a significant milestone with a platform for sharing information and best practices in tax management.

The website can be accessed at the following address: www.patf-ao.orgn 

In conjunction with this launch, it is worth noting that digital tools have been created as part of the Program’s communication efforts. These include: a  Facebook page, a Twitter and LinkedIn accounts, and a YouTube channel.

The goal is to reach specific target audiences through each of these platforms.

In order to facilitate effective communication about PATF and following the creation of the communication charter, visuals have been produced. These visuals help with the easy identification of all PATF communication materials, establishing a graphical and visual link between all generated activities and resources. One (1) institutional PATF visual has been adopted, along with six (6) thematic visuals, each with variations in English and Portuguese.

As part of its public communication efforts, PATF has produced podcasts. These are radio broadcasts aimed at introducing PATF, its missions, and areas of intervention, as well as promoting the benefits of sound fiscal practices for the general population.

Listen to the podcasts on the PATF YouTube channel

Following the assessment mission of the CAR’s public finance management carried out by a team of four experts from Linpico from June 2022 to September 2023, the PEFA Secretariat has just confirmed that the Performance Assessment Report of the public finance system management of public finances of the Central African Republic according to the PEFA methodology submitted by Linpico meets all the requirements of PEFA quality assurance and has accordingly awarded it the “PEFA CHECK” rating. This evaluation covered the 2019, 2020 and 2021 budgetary years. LINPICO thanks the experts, the Ministry of Finance and Budget, the CS-REF as well as the Delegation of the European Union and the PEFA Secretariat, for obtaining this PEFA CHECK and the successful completion of this mission.

The Technical Assistance to Fiscal Transition Support Programme in West Africa    managed by Linpico which started in january 2019 and is ending now,

The general objective of the whole project was to support the WAEMU and ECOWAS member states for improving tax management; strengthening measures for tackling fraud, tax evasion and illicit financial flows so as to improve tax revenues; and strengthening the regional and national fiscal transition coordination systems.

Linpico’s team has contributed to the development of regulatory texts intended to consolidate the legal architecture of the ECOWAS customs union and tax harmonisation which have been validated by the ECOWAS Ministers in charge of Finance and Budget during the Ninetieth (90th) Ordinary Session of ECOWAS Council of Ministers held on 6th and 7th July 2023 in Bissau the ECOWAS.

These regulations include :

• Draft Supplementary Act on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters among ECOWAS Member States;
• Draft Regulation amending the list of categories of goods contained in the ECOWAS CET and statistical nomenclature;
• Draft Regulation on the list of exceptions to the Community rules of origin change in tariff heading;
• Draft Regulation establishing an institutional monitoring and evaluation system for the tax transition in West Africa;
• Draft Directive relating to the harmonisation of ECOWAS Member States’ laws on value added tax;
• Draft Directive on the harmonisation of the methodology for the evaluation of tax expenditure in ECOWAS Member States;
• Draft Directive setting out guidelines on the code of ethics and conduct for tax administrations in ECOWAS Member States;
• Draft Directive harmonising the excise duty laws in ECOWAS Member States;
• Draft Directive on the harmonisation of transfer pricing rules in ECOWAS Member States; and
• Draft Directive on the harmonisation of rules on beneficial ownership in ECOWAS Member States.

The 2023 evaluation of the public finance management system of the Republic of Niger implemented by the firm LINPICO for the part financed by the European Union is the fourth after those of 2016, 2013 and 2008. The particularity of this evaluation is that it includes a gender-sensitive public financial management assessment and a climate-sensitive public financial management assessment according to the methodologies developed by the PEFA Secretariat.

The European Union, the French Development Agency and UNICEF funded this assessment and called on independent international experts to conduct it. A college of reviewers including the Government of Niger and the PEFA Secretariat were invited to examine the successive versions of the PEFA report as part of the “PEFA CHECK” quality control process.

The evaluation was coordinated on the Government side by the Ministry of Finance and on the technical and financial partner side by the Delegation of the European Union. A management and supervision team has been set up to coordinate the evaluation and guarantee all the conditions for its success.

The evaluation is carried out by a team of international experts in public finance management made available by the firm LINPICO for the part on EU funding.

The evaluation took place between July 2022 and May 2023 and benefited from data collected during the three field missions. It covers the last three closed financial years, namely 2019, 2020 and 2021.

The purpose of this assessment is to measure the performance of Niger’s public finance management system according to the PEFA 2016 methodology, and to measure the sensitivity of the public finance management system to gender and climate.

This assessment covers the thirty-one domains of public finance management, the nine domains of Gender-sensitive PFM and the fourteen domains of Climate-sensitive PFM. It measures the impact of this management on the following three main objectives of public finance management: (i) overall budgetary discipline, ii) the strategic allocation of resources and (iii) the efficient use of resources for financial purposes of public service delivery.

The Climate Change Act (CCA) 2020 was proclaimed and came into force on 22 April 2021. It proposes a legal framework with a multi-layered institutional mechanism for making the Republic of Mauritius a climate-resilient, low-carbon country. The CCA makes provisions for the creation of a Department of Climate Change (DCC) and Climate Change Units (CCUs) for the mainstreaming of climate change in all sectors. The project entitled “Technical Assistance for an Institutional Gaps and Needs Assessment (IGNA) to implement the provisions of the Climate Change Act 2020 in the Republic of Mauritius” is tasked with proposing an organisational plan for the DCC, including staffing needs, Scheme of Duties, cost of operationalising the proposed organisational structure and capacity development requirements. It also requires the institutional arrangements and human capacity development plan for institutions other than the DCC in Mauritius to be articulated so that these institutions are able to respond to the requirements of Section 16 of the CCA.

The Act aims at addressing the adverse effects of climate change and developing Mauritius into a greener economy. It will also assist Mauritius in meeting its obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agreement and any other related instrument on climate change.

A National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan (NCCASAP) (Section 13 of CCA) will be formulated covering the following key adaptation sectors, namely agriculture, biodiversity, coastal zones, infrastructure, the port, marine environment, tourism, fisheries, water and health. Also a National Climate Change Mitigation Strategy and Action Plan (NCCMSAP) (Section 14 of CCA) will be formulated covering the following key mitigation sectors, namely energy, transport, industrial processes and product use, agriculture, forestry, land use, waste management and disposal. Further, Section 15 makes provision of carrying out a national inventory of greenhouse gases (GHGs) on an annual basis.

Two workshops have been held, one in Mauritius on the 3^rd July, 2023 at the Hennessy Hotel. The opening address was given by Hon. Kavydass Ramano, Minister of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change.

A second workshop is being held in Rodrigues at Domaine la Détente on 29^th August.

The conference room of the National Social Security Fund (CNSS), hosted on Wednesday July 19, 2023, the workshop of restitution of the conclusions of the evaluation report of Public Finances according to the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) methodology drawn up by LINPICO’s team of experts. Officially opened by the director of cabinet, Wamata Yambouka, representing the minister Hervé Ndoba who was unable to attend, this restitution workshop saw the participation of representatives of the institutions of the republic, Technical and Financial Partners (PTF) and those of the sectoral departments.

Public finance assessment according to the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) methodology is used to assess the performance of public financial management systems and to identify areas that require improvement.

“The government attaches enormous importance to the legal framework and the institutions responsible for implementing national development policies. For our public finances to fully play the role assigned to them, they must make it possible to better collect domestic revenue, optimize expenditure by directing it towards the priorities of our populations and enable the State to honor all its commitments, including the payment of his debts. To achieve these goals, good governance, transparency and the fight against bad practices must take precedence. said Mr. Wamata.

For Mr. Serge Panaget, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim (ai), representing the Ambassador of the European Union, unable to attend, “This meeting is an important moment for public finance management reforms in the Central African Republic. This is all the more important since effective public financial management (PFM) institutions and systems are essential for implementing national development and poverty reduction policies. Only good PFM can make the link between available resources, service delivery and the achievement of policy objectives. Good PFM ensures that revenues are efficiently collected and used appropriately and sustainably. »

It should be recalled that the first assessment, which took place in 2010, revealed major weaknesses in the management of public finances in the CAR, in particular the credibility of the budget cycle, predictability and control of budget execution, accounting, recording information and financial reports, as well as external control and audit.

In order to improve the efficiency of Public Finance Management (PFM) in São Tomé and Príncipe, the Government has developed a PFM Reform Strategy (ERGFP) for the period 2020-2023. The ERGFP has been structured around 8 Specific Objectives and 8 Operational Programmes, to be achieved by implementing a detailed action plan – PARFIP II.

This project provides the Government of São Tomé and Príncipe and its sectoral technical ministries with advice and technical assistance to achieve the objectives of the ERGFP, through the provision of 2 experts, over the period 2021-2023, in support of the Office for Public Finance Reforms (GARFIP) of the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Blue Economy (MFPEA), with 9 out of the 13 scheduled missions that have been implemented, so far.

After a second half of year 2022, during which our technical assistance was impacted by the electoral and post-electoral process in STP, S1-2023 was very active, with a very intense TA support provided to GARFIP and the PFM reforms, in STP.

During S1-2023, our TA team carried out the 3 missions in the country, changing the objective of the second mission this semester, after the decision of the Minister PFEA to postpone the realization of the PEFA Gender and the PEFA Climate (initially scheduled for the month  of September 2023), and provided its continued support to GARFIP, as required by the GARFIP team.

Meetings were held with the government PFM entities involved, and workshops in 5 District Councils were provided, for the improvement of the financial reporting at the subnational level and the improvement of the financial accuracy and timeliness of the consolidated quarterly and annual financial statements of the country.

The impacts of the 2022 legislative elections on the PFM reforms were still felt in the 1st half of 2023, as well as the effects of the limitations on internal resources (due to the absence of an approved Budget) that impacted the process of some “Quick wins” in the DO (in budget preparation) and DT (in SOE’s governance).

However, the GARFIP team continued its work satisfactorily, benefiting from the continuous support of the TA team, streamlining some of the PARFIP II activities, engaging the various PFM teams, as well as adequately reprogramming some of the scheduled activities, with the aim of maximizing the improvements of PFM activities in the country, during the year 2023.

After the new Government took office in November 2022, the new employees demonstrated a strong engagement with the reforms, benefited from the TA action-based training, for the realization of a mid-term self-assessment of the ERGFP, which allowed government officials to align themselves with the importance of PFM reforms and to raise their awareness in relation to gender issues, trough the PEFA Gender training realized by our TA team.