PARLIAMENTARY MEDIA RECEIVE TRAINING ON PUBLIC FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT REPORTING

Members of the Parliamentary Press Corps(Media)  have undergone a two-day capacity-building training on Public Financial Management (PFM) reporting. 

The training was organised by the Media Relations Department of Parliament in collaboration with the United Kingdom's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the World Bank.

The training seeks to strengthen the capacity of journalists who cover Parliament to report effectively on public financial management issues, while promoting transparency and accountability in governance.

The workshop is designed to equip members of the Press Corps with a deeper understanding of Ghana’s public financial management framework and enhance their reporting on national budgets, fiscal policies and Parliament’s oversight responsibilities.

Addressing participants,the Director of the Media Relations at the Parliament of Ghana, Mr. David Sebastian Damoah highlighted the importance of the Parliamentary Press Corps in bridging the gap between Parliament and the citizenry.

He emphasized that reporting Parliament should not be limited to activities within the Chamber but must extend to critical national processes such as public financial management, budget scrutiny and fiscal oversight.

He therefore urged members of the Press Corps to take the training seriously to enhance the accuracy and depth of their reporting on financial governance.

The Senior Expert in Public Financial Management at the Legon Leadership Academy of the University of Ghana, Eva Esselba Mends, made the remarks at the capacity-building argued that demands for increased public expenditure must be weighed against the need to protect key macroeconomic indicators among them low inflation and a stable currency.

She further stated many people celebrate a stronger cedi or falling inflation but rarely reckon with the fiscal discipline that underpins those gains; she alluded to, cautioning that spending beyond government revenue widens the fiscal deficit and deepens dependence on public borrowing.

The training forms part of ongoing efforts by the Parliamentary Service and its development partners to strengthen media capacity and improve public understanding of Parliament’s oversight role in the management of national finances.