While in The Gambia, Awa Touray, CABRI consultant, met with Abdou Salam Jatta, Principal Fiscal Officer at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs. A past recipient of CABRI's Building Public Finance Management Capabilities (BPFMC) programme, Mr Jatta reflects on his engagements with CABRI and how he applied the knowledge he gained in his Ministry.

Despite offering an array of programmes and oversight for its member countries, CABRI also offers in-country support and interventions. In this interview, we feature a snapshot of the impact our programmes have on participants and their countries.

CABRI: Which CABRI activities have you previously participated in?

Mr Jatta: I have attended some events (e.g., the 2017 CABRI Conference: Managing Budgetary Pressures in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, CABRI Health Policy Dialogue 2016 in Addis, Ethiopia) and participated in the 2017 edition of the Building Public Finance Management Capabilities (BPFMC) programme. 

CABRI: What are some key insights from your CABRI engagements that you can share? Have you applied or leveraged some of these insights in your Ministry or beyond?

Mr Jatta: I found the BPFMC programme to be most impactful given its rigorous and hands-on nature. The sessions on deconstructing problems and drilling down to the minute details were quite revealing. This helped me see another aspect of problem solving that I didn’t know existed. The practical nature of the program helped deliver some recommendations on budget management. Due to my experience with the program, I was keen to encourage others to participate.

CABRI: What value have you seen in the cross-sectoral nature of CABRI’s work – for instance, bringing together finance, health, and planning actors?

Mr Jatta: It fosters cross-sectoral coordination, which in turn fosters knowledge sharing.

CABRI: Since participating in these programmes, has anything changed in your institution’s approach to solving public financial management (PFM) problems? Any policies, practices, or discussions that you feel have been influenced?

Mr Jatta: Well, initially yes. But currently, the initial momentum gained has been lost. This may partly be down to the lack of follow-through. Furthermore, most of the team members from the particular BPFMC programme have left.

CABRI: How has CABRI’S support (peer-learning, coaching, dialogue, knowledge products) complemented or differed from other support you’ve received?

Mr Jatta: The coaching quite stands out given it offers one-on-one interaction with the participants. The comments on the assignments were also significant in terms of reorienting participants to what was needed.

CABRI: What do you see as The Gambia’s most pressing PFM challenges that CABRI could help with?

Mr Jatta: Addressing the fiscal challenges especially those relating to the deficit and debt. The constant deficit and debt positions are things narrowing the fiscal space leaving less for development purposes. Thus, any support in narrowing the deficit or reducing debt distress would be quite helpful.

CABRI: From your perspective, what has been the unique value of being a CABR member? How does it compare to support received from other regional or international actors?

Mr Jatta: The opportunity to participate in the BPFMC programme has been quite valuable. This mode of support is quite unique, in my opinion, and supports more retention of knowledge gained, given the hands-on experience it provides. The fact that participants are concurrently trained, at the same time as addressing challenges faced by a country makes it impactful. This is something I have not seen any other actor offer.

CABRI: What was most valuable about the format or process used in the CABRI engagements you’ve experienced (e.g., team-based problem solving, peer exchange, coaching)?

Mr Jatta: Team-based problem solving and direct coaching.

CABRI: What would you like to see more of in future CABRI engagements with The Gambia?

Mr Jatta: More programmes like the BPFMC.

CABRI: If you can, tell me about a moment during a programme or conference that really stayed with you.

Mr Jatta: The moment we became winners of the BPFMC programme. The camaraderie and positive competition between participants at the venue was memorable.