The Provincial Fiscal Grant Coordinating Committee (PFGCC) of the Provincial Capacity Development Fund (PCDF) is convening at Heritage Park Hotel for three days starting today 16th July to discuss results of the assessment of PCDF funded projects in the 9 Provinces for the year 2016/17. The meeting will end on Wednesday 18th July 2018.
Figure 1: Chairperson of the PFGCC, National Project Coordinator, and Under Secretary (Governance) for MPGIS, Mr. Eric George (R), and Programme Management Expert for PGSP, Mr. Momodou Lamin Sawaneh (L), discussing before the meeting started
The PFGCC is the fiscal committee created by the Provincial Governance Strengthening Programme’s (PGSP’s) Joint Oversight Committee (project board) that meets periodically to review results of PCDF assessment reports and make recommendations to the project board for final decision. The PFGCC comprises of the following members:
1. Under Secretary (Governance), Ministry of Provincial Government and Institutional Strengthening (Chair)
2. Under Secretary, Ministry of Finance and Treasury (Elizabeth - Co-chair)
3. Deputy Auditor General, Office of the Auditor General
4. Deputy Accountant General, Office of the Accountant General
5. Deputy Secretary to Cabinet, Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
6. Under Secretary, Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development
7. Under Secretary, Ministry of Development Planning and Aid Coordination
8. Under Secretary, Ministry of Public Service
9. Under Secretary, Ministry of Women, Youth and Children Affairs
10. Under Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology
11. Under Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development
12. All Provincial Secretaries
13. Financial Controller, Ministry of Provincial Government and Institutional Strengthening
14. Programme Management Expert , Provincial Governance Strengthening Programme (PGSP)
Figure 2: Members of the PFGCC who had already arrived for the meeting at Heritage Park
Agenda for the three day meeting is to review PCDF Annual Performance Assessment Reports of the Nine Provinces for 2016/17 financial year, and to prepare recommendations to Provincial Governance Strengthening Programme (PGSP) Joint Oversight Committee (JOC) who determine which Province shall have access to PCDF in 2018/19 financial year.
The assessment report that is being reviewed by the technical committee has been prepared by the two local consultants: Mr Tony Hou and Mr. Walter Malau. Being the team leader of the assessment team, Mr. Hou presents the report to the committee at Heritage Park Hotel. The details of individual reports are presented one by one for detailed discussions.
Figure 3: Leader of the PCDF Assessment Team Mr. Tony Houston Ma'ahaka presenting the results of PCDF Assessment for 2016/17 to the PFGCC members at Heritage Park Hotel
The following are the main functions of the PGSP’s PFGCC:
Provincial Service Grants from the National Government
• Rational for Provincial Services Grants
• Current usage of Provincial Services Grants by the Provinces
• Level of Provincial Services Grants
• Distribution of Provincial Services Grants among the Provinces
• System of administering Provincial Services Grants
• Accounting for and reporting of Provincial Services Grants
• Suggestions for Change and Reform in the above areas.
Provincial Capacity Development Fund (PCDF)
• Minimum Conditions of access to PCDF and Performance Measures
• Investment menu of PCDF
• Formula for distribution of PCDF amongst the Provinces
• Reporting requirements
• Funding of PCDF, including Provincial Government Contributions
• Planning and Budgeting for PCDF Projects
• Other aspects of the PCDF Operating Manual
• Suggestions for Change and Reform in the above areas.
Intergovernmental Financing Arrangements, including Revenue Sharing
• Options for Reform of Intergovernmental Financing Arrangements, including Revenue Sharing.
Advice in other technical areas related to PGSP, as directed by JOC
• JOC may refer other technical issues related to the PGSP to the PFGCC for advice, as appropriate, e.g. Own Source Revenues of Provincial Governments.
Figure 4: Some of the PFGCC members reading the results
Part of the agenda is a presentation by the two international experts who arrived on Sunday for one month mission to study Inter-Governmental Financial Relations (Revenue Sharing Scheme between the National Government and the Provincial Governments). The experts will seek answers to various questions from the Members of the PFGCC on issues related to Provincial Government fundings and expenditure.
The PGSP and its PCDF has been supporting the Provinces for 10 years now with results and summaries of its PCDF projects implemented by Provinces since 2008 being serialized on weekly basis in the Solomon Star News Paper and Solomon Islands Broad Casting Cooperation (SIBC). END###
