Ministry of Finance

• To oversee smooth implementation of the projects financed by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and the Government of Lesotho.
• To ensure proper liaison between the Implementing Entities and MCC.

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This program is aimed towards automating Customs and Tax processes in order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of revenue collection processes and technology through the provision of a single view of the taxpayer.

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To improve border post infrastructure.

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The Records Management Project was established in 2012 as an integral part of the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS), under the cluster of Public Financial Management of the Public Sector Improvement and Reform. Based on international best practice, IFMIS has a direct impact on the record keeping practices in many respects and could not continue to remain a neglected asset within Ministry of Finance.




The Records Management Project under the Ministry of Finance is aimed at establishing policies and procedures related to record keeping ; designing and establishing standardized record keeping system for all the Ministry’s financial records; strengthening credibility of the Government financial management reform through proper record keeping and creating a foundation for future integration of paper-based system to the new electronic environment.




The project, therefore, is developing a robust information structure coupled with capacity building for effective management of public sector records from the time of creation up to a time a decision is made to keep or destroy them in accordance with both the Financial Regulations and the Archives Act. Access to reliable and accurate information sources is critical to the Government in its quest to promote the rule of law, transparent service delivery to citizens as well as public accountability.




In line with this, the Records Management Project, though being implemented in phases, and depending on the availability of resources, has accomplished some major activities such as refurbishment of the former Liquor Commission building turning it into a fully-fledged Records Centre. The Records Centre has become fully operational housing semi-current records from the Treasury (IFMIS requirement) as well as the line Ministries, and the sub-accountancies. IFMIS source documents, Privatization Unit records and Millenium Challenge Account (MCA) documents are also kept at the Records Centre and these are fully accessible to support audit trails.




It remains the project short term target to provide access to reliable and accurate information sources to support micro fiscal planning. The records project, therefore, has developed a comprehensive manual system for all types of records in preparation for automation and the introduction of Electronic Records Management System (ERMS) which will make retrieval of records much easier and faster.




In order for records to support the Government initiatives as a valuable asset, records must be managed from the time they are received, through distribution, use and maintenance, until they are finally destroyed or permanently archived.




“Making records available to the right person, at the right time and in the right format”

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The project development objective (PDO) of the Public Sector Modernisation Project is to strengthen strategic-level planning and to improve efficiency in the fiscal and human resource management of Selected Ministries. The project provides horizontal support to the central ministries to strengthen public administration, as well as vertical support to targeted sector ministries to improve resource management systems and capacities for service delivery. The project is aimed at addressing ‘broad cross-cutting issues’, such as civil service and fiscal management, to reduce inefficiencies in the use of public resources across the administration. At the same time, given the high level of irregularities in both HR and financial management (FM), the project focuses on improving those areas in the targeted MDAs which would significantly impact social service delivery and poverty reduction in Lesotho. Direct beneficiaries of this multi-sectoral operation will therefore be the stakeholders of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Ministry of Public Sector, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Development Planning, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and Training, and Bureau of Statistics—that is, those engaged in addressing institutional-strengthening needs that are essential to enhancing service delivery.




The project is financed by an Investment Project Financing (IPF) of US$10 million over a four year period. The modality for project implementation consists of a blended approach which combines Technical Assistance to provide hands-on support as well as knowledge expertise. The project is organized into four components, deemed critical to achieve the PDO. The components are: (a) Strategic Planning and Fiscal Management; (b) Strengthening Human Resource Management; (c) Improving Statistical Capacity; and (d) Strategic Implementation Support.




COMPONENT 1: Strategic Planning and Fiscal Management

Strengthening strategic and fiscal planning, and decision-making processes and improvement of expenditure planning and management in the health and education sectors to achieve more effective and efficient service delivery. The component focuses on three main activities: (a) preparation and implementation of the next NSDP, covering the period 2017/18–2021/22; (b) development of the annual BFP, setting out the fiscal framework and spending priorities and choices for the coming three-year period; and (c) budget preparation and execution processes in the two major service-delivery ministries.



COMPONENT 2: Strengthening Human Resources Management

The component aims to (a) reduce irregular Human Resource (HR) and salary payments cases; (b) enhance wage bill and HR control at the Selected Ministries; and (c) improve Human Resource Management practices and deployment of HR for better service delivery.



COMPONENT 3: Improving Statistical Capacity

The objectives of this component is to produce timely and reliable economic, social, and poverty statistics to provide a basis for better fiscal planning, as well as a monitoring tool for NSDP. This component provides support for: (a) improvement of national accounts and (b) conducting Household Budget Surveys (HBS).



COMPONENT 4: Strategic Implementation Support

This component finances the Project Coordination Unit (PCU) i.e Public Financial Management Reform Secretariat (PFMRS) to coordinate the implementing ministries and agencies to create synergy and a coherent approach to public sector modernization. The PCU carries out project, procurement, and financial management. In view of policy coordination aspirations of the coalition government, led by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the project supports capacity building of the PMO for policy formulation, coordination, and M&E.



CONTACT DETAILS:

Tsolo Maoeng
Project Coordinator, PFMR Secretariat
Ministry of Finance
P.O. Box 395
Maseru 100
Lesotho
Tel: (+266) 28328974/28315589/28324748
Email: mrmaoeng.tsolo@gmail.com

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