Jigawa State. Budget and Economic Planning Directorate (BEPD), Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning. Functional Review Report

Transcription

1 Jigawa State Budget and Economic Planning Directorate (BEPD), Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning Functional Review Report AS PART OF THE CORPORTATE PLANNING PROCESS January 2011

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ACRONYMS... 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY... 5 METHODOLOGY INTRODUCTION:CONTEXT OF FUNCTIONAL REVIEW IN JIGAWA STATE GOVERNMENT AND BEPD HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE BUDGET AND ECONOMIC PLANNING DIRECTORATE, JIGAWA STATE CATEGORISATION OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION FUNCTIONS APPLICATION AND IMPLICATIONS OF THE ABOVE CLASSIFICATION ON BEPD STRATEGIC AND MEDIUM TERM OBJECTIVES OF BEPD REVIEW OF FUNCTIONS BEPD FUNCTIONS AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS CURRENT FUNCTIONS OF THE DIRECTORATE CURRENT FUNCTIONS OF BUDGET MONITORING DEPARTMENT CURRENT FUNCTIONS OF STATISTICS DEPARTMENT CURRENT FUNCTIONS OF ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE DEPARTMENT CORE AND NON-CORE FUNCTIONS OF THE DIRECTORATE SUMMARY OF FUNCTIONS OF BEPD FUNCTIONS OF BUDGET DEPARTMENT FUNCTIONS OF THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT FUNCTIONS OF THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS COORDINATION AND MONITORING DEPARTMENT FUNCTIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF STATISTICS, MONITORING AND EVALUATION FUNCTIONS OF THE ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE DEPARTMENT STAFFING CURRENT AND REQUIRED STAFF STRENGTH CURRENT AND REQUIRED SKILLS QUALIFICATION OF STAFF THE NEED FOR STAFF SUFFICIENCY CURRENT ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE OF BEPD COMMENTS ON CURRENT STRUCTURE OF THE DIRECTORATE THE NECESSITY FOR A FUNCTIONAL ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE SCHEDULE OF DUTY OF STAFF OF BEPD FINANCIAL ISSUES BUDGET ALLOCATION AND EXPENDITURE OF BEPD RECOMMENDATIONS APPENDICES Page 2

3 APPENDIX I: DISCUSSION GUIDES WITH PS BEPD APPENDIX II: DISCUSSION GUIDES WITH DIRECTORS OF BEPD, JIGAWA STATE.. 41 APPENDIX III: DECISION TREE TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT A CURRENT FUNCTION IS STILL NECESSARY APPENDIX IV: FORM CHECKING ALIGNMENT OF CORE FUNCTIONS MANDATES AND LONG TERM OBJECTIVES APPENDIX V: CURRENT STRUCTURE OF THE DIRECTORATE APPENDIX VI: RECOMMENDED ORGANOGRAM FOR BEPD AND SUMMARY OF REVISED FUNCTIONS APPENDIX VII: SCHEDULE OF DUTIES FOR PLANNING DEPARTMENT; DIRECTORATE OF BUDGET AND ECONOMIC PLANNING -PLANNING DEPARTMENT Page 3

4 List of Acronyms Term Definition BEPD Budget Economic Planning Directorate CDF Comprehensive Development Framework CG Core Group CP Corporate Planning CWIQ Core Welfare Indicator Questionnaire DFID Department for International Development DPD Development Partnership Department FR Functional Review HRM Human Resource Management ICT Information Communication Technology IFMIS Integrated Financed Management Information System J D Job Description JSG Jigawa State Government LGC Local Government Councils MDAs Ministry, Department and Agencies MDGs Millennium Development Goals M&E Monitoring and Evaluation MIS Management Information System MTOs Medium Term Objectives NBS National Bureau of Statistics NPC National Planning Commission PIMU Project Implementation and Monitoring Unit PS Permanent Secretary PSM Public Service Management SEEDS State Economic Empowerment and Development Strategies SPARC State Partnership for Accountability, Responsiveness and Capability UNICEF United Nations Children Fund Page 4

5 Executive Summary This report looks at the functions of the Budget and Economic Planning Directorate (BEPD) in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning in the state of Jigawa in Nigeria and how the Directorate is organised to deliver on its mandate. The Functional structure, capacity and overall functionality of the Directorate are the focus of the exercise. The BEPD is charged with core functions of preparing the state budget and coordination of State planning processes. By all considerations, these are high state responsibilities that call for the best of practices in their discharge. This review was conducted within the Corporate Planning (CP) process. CP can be thought of as an organisational development technique that helps a public agency to objectively analyse its objectives, priorities, development strategies and environment in the light of its mandate, in order to establish the most appropriate way to organise and apply its resources towards achieving its objectives and meeting its service delivery standards and targets. Using a set of diagnostic tools, it was found that the six departments in the Directorate function together to deliver on its purpose. There appears to be no boundary between the role played by staff in their department of principal assignments and those constantly assigned to them in an ad hoc basis by the Permanent Secretary (PS) as part of strategy of coping with what appears to be an acute shortage of staff. However, the function of the department of Budget Monitoring was found not to be properly defined and functions currently assigned to it have been streamlined into three departments within the Directorate namely: Department of Planning, Department of Budget and the proposed Department of Statistics, Monitoring and Evaluation. This effectively reduces the number of departments from six to five. Disaggregating functions assigned to each of the departments using the categorisation of public administration model in classical organisation theory, it was found that the allocation of functions to departments seem to have been carefully done as there were very few cases of duplication, unnecessary overlaps or badly positioned functions. Functions of core departments were found to be aligned to the core mandate and purpose of the agency. However, the scope of definition of the function of the current Budget Monitoring Department was found to be too narrow and it needs to be redefined and streamlined with those of the current Department of Statistics for full M&E functions. Accordingly, the proposition to establish a new Department of Statistics, Monitoring and Evaluation in the Directorate (supported by the M&E work stream of SPARC) was found to be appropriate. It was also recommended that as soon as practicably possible the Directorate should create an economic intelligence unit in the Directorate, which should function and serve as a proactive economic think-tank to government. There are schedules of duty for each member of staff of the directorate even though these are yet to be developed into job descriptions. A systematic job analysis later in the process of Corporate Planning will establish whether or not the current staff members have the appropriate level of skills to perform functions allocated to the MDA and recommend appropriate remedial actions such as training or re-skilling of current staff. Page 5

6 More than any other issue, understaffing is a major challenge in the Directorate and there is an urgent need to reverse its impact on the processes of the Directorate. The leadership of the Directorate should take urgent steps to address this and ensure that departments are organised into units with specific roles to deliver on its mandate in the best interests of the State. The current departmental organizational charts only shows the chain of command with no indications of what is done within each layer of authority. Page 6

7 Methodology The functional review was carried out as part of a whole block of activities in the Corporate Planning process being piloted in four MDAs in Jigawa State Government including the Budget and Economic Planning Directorate (BEPD). Substantial work on the PURPOSE of the Directorate over the last year as part of the CP process has already provided an insight into the background of the agency to enable the review part of the activity to be completed quickly. Besides, further documents were obtained and reviewed before and during the exercise in order to gain further insight into the internal workings of the Directorate. One-to-one discussions were held with the Permanent Secretary and his directors. Focus group discussions were held with Directors and other members of the Technical Working Committee of the Directorate to generate and clarify information on functions. The discussions were carried out over two days the first day saw each department making presentations on their department to show what they do, how they do it, and what issues or challenges they face in the course of completing their functions. The presentation enabled the group to quickly see areas of overlap, duplication and neglect in the functionality of the Directorate. Day two witnessed the use of pre-prepared templates to break down large functions into smaller ones in the light of the Medium Term Objectives (MTOs) relevant to each department. This prepares the ground for the categorisation of the functions in the five broad classification headings for public service functions: Policy, Coordination / performance monitoring, Regulatory, Support (commonly known as staff functions) and Service delivery. This broad categorisation helps in determining which function is actually relevant to the mandate of any public service agency. Apart from brainstorming in focus groups to really iron out most issues and using the templates to capture and categorise functions, quantitative data were obtained on nominal roll and the cost of running the directorate over a period of three years This information was used to check the efficiency of the agency. Data was analysed and functions were subjected to a decision tree flow chart to determine if they are necessary and functional. Results of analysis were developed into a narrative as contained in this short report. Some findings and suggestions were presented in tables to enhance quick glance read-through. See appendixes I-IV for samples of discussion outline, flow chart and alignment templates used in the course of this Functional Review. Limitations of the Study A Functional Review (FR) requires time to plan and implement but the circumstance of urgency imposed by the need to complete this activity so as to enable other workstreams in the SPARC programme progress their own work limited the time available for this activity. Only three days were available for data gathering, brainstorming and all the discussions necessary to fully engage the directorate in the process. It was necessary to collect data through and telephone. Page 7

8 1 Introduction: Context of Functional Review in Jigawa State Government and BEPD 1 Jigawa State Government has initiated its own Public Service Management (PSM) reform process, which is also being supported by development partners, notably DFID through the State Partnership for Accountability, Responsiveness and Capability Programme (SPARC). As part of this process the State Government undertook a PSM Self Assessment Exercise in February 2009, which identified the need for the following: Review of mandates to reflect the vision, specific realities and development goals of Jigawa, Clarification of roles, mandates and working relations between MDAs, Documentation of mandates to be kept current through regular reviews and made accessible to public servants and the public in general, Strengthening of structures that support transparency, accountability and citizen engagement, Medium term planning, Establishment and workforce planning, Introduction of service charters (initially for key MDAs and later through the whole system) and establishment of a process to monitor and evaluate them. Strengthening and expanding of planning and resource allocation procedures (which are currently working well in some sectors) throughout the public service. In response to this agenda, the Government set up a Core Group of senior civil servants to develop a PSM Change Matrix and Change Plan to address the needs. Analyses by the SPARC PSM team suggested that several of the necessary reforms were closely linked and could be tackled through a Corporate Planning effort. As a first step JSG is currently undertaking a comprehensive review of the overall mandates of all its Public Service MDAs. This will clarify the inter-ministerial/agency mandates and functions, clearing the way for specific MDA corporate plans to formulate the most effective and efficient means for the MDAs to deliver on their mandates. The functional review stage is one of the most fundamental in the Corporate Planning process. This is where the functions and processes of an MDA are analysed and refined and the organisational structure is redesigned to optimally deliver on the strategic and medium term objectives. A Function is the special purpose or task of a public institution mandated to it by a higher authority - a duty specific to a specific post or a specific job. Functional review therefore is a review of the efficiency and effectiveness of an MDA. It examines the functions and structures of state agencies or budget entities and asks whether the functions need to be done at all, whether 1 This section is largely excerpted from the Corporate Planning Guideline Document, Jigawa State Page 8

9 other agencies or actors could do them more efficiently or effectively, and what the consequences are for their structure. It usually involves looking at the organisation through different lenses in order to find answers to questions such as: 1. Is the organisation carrying out the right functions? Are some of them inappropriate, could some be dropped? Should other functions be created? Could some be outsourced or privatised? 2. For the functions retained, are these organised and set up to achieve optimum performance? 3. For the functions retained, are these appropriately financed and organised in the most cost effective manner? 4. Do the structure and functional arrangement facilitate the desired balance of staff motivation, checks and balances and accountability? 5. How can the service delivery processes be better organised to provide more efficient and effective outcomes? 6. How would the introduction of new technologies such as ICT affect the functional arrangements, the organisational processes and hence the structure of BEPD? The aim of this activity is to assist the BEPD to submit itself to a test through a periscope. The questions act as a lenses through which a clear view is provided and where necessary adjustments are made that will ensure stability and sustainability of its mandates and functions. 1.1 Historical Background of the Budget and Economic Planning Directorate, Jigawa State At the creation of Jigawa State in 1991, there was a Department of Budget and Economic Planning under the State Ministry of Finance, Industry and Cooperatives headed by a Director. This Department was subsequently upgraded to the status of a Directorate under the Governor s Office headed by a Director General and later by a Permanent Secretary due to civil service reforms when the DG status was reverted to that of a Permanent Secretary. This was the case for the period from 1994 to Late 2002 the Directorate was further upgraded to Ministerial Status and formally named the Ministry of State Joint Planning, Budget and Expenditure Control after bringing the Project Implementation and Monitoring Unit (PIMU) under the purview of the Ministry. PIMU used to be a Unit under the Governor s Office headed by a Director General operating more as a Due Process Office that ensured compliance to due process in public procurement. The Expenditure Control function of the Ministry was principally being performed by the PIMU where a secretary was appointed serving more like a Departmental Director who assisted the Commissioner in running the Unit. Following the restructuring exercise carried out by the new administration in 2007, the Ministry was reverted back to its Directorate status under the supervision of a new Ministry for Finance and Economic Planning. To a large extent, the current functions of the planning department of the Directorate is similar to those of the National Planning Commission at the Federal level. Page 9

10 The Directorate currently has six departments made up of five operational departments and one service department each headed by a Director. The operational departments are so called because they are performing functions that are derived directly from the mandate of the directorate. They are: Budget Department, Planning Department, Budget Monitoring Department, MDGs Coordination &Monitoring Department and Statistics Department. The Administration &Finance Department performs general administrative functions of the directorate and is rightly described as service department. 1.2 Categorisation of Public Administration Functions Organisation theory holds that Public Administration agencies fundamentally have five key groups of functions as described on the table below: Type of function Description and Examples of functions Policy usually carried out at the ministerial level Strategic planning and budgeting Legal drafting Development of performance contracts Defining minimum standards Policy analysis and evaluation Forecasting Executive Co-ordination / performance monitoring Implementation and management functions Co-ordination, between ministries or subordinate bodies Monitoring performance of subordinate bodies Facilitating performance of subordinate bodies Supervising, from a policy perspective Regulatory Functions that determines and regulates operational standard Licensing, certification, accreditation, consents Financial (external) audit Premises inspections Service delivery Functions that have to do with services delivered from one ministry to another, to stakeholders, clients or customers both internal and external e.g. vetting draft legislation Services delivered direct to the public Support Commonly known as staff functions. Mostly related to administrative and management and accounting Human resource management Internal (financial) audit Information systems Secretarial services Security guards, building maintenance, cleaning, etc. Page 10

11 1.3 Application and Implications of the above Classification on BEPD First a number of questions are raised: i. Is the BEPD performing functions that can be categorised in this typology? ii. Is the BEPD as an agency of government aware of its function in line with this classification? iii. Are there functions performed by BEPD that cannot be categorised in this model? iv. Can this model be used to realign BEPD functions to make them more functional so that similar functions are grouped together and put under the supervision of suitable experts or leadership? v. Have BEPD taken this classification into consideration when deploying staff to deliver on core functions? Answers to all but one (iii) of these questions appear to be in the affirmative. Looking at the distribution of departments within the directorate in the above classification shows that departments of planning and budget functions are more at the policy development and management level. The Budget Monitoring Department combines both executive and regulatory functions. The Statistics department s functions operate more at the level of service delivery and the Administration and Finance department performs support functions. The MDG Coordination department combines service delivery and executive functions. The Permanent Secretary and his cabinet function more on policy, executive and coordination. See the table below: Office Departments Permanent Secretary Budget Department Planning department Statistics department Budget Monitoring department MDG Coordination Department Admin and Finance Department and Type of function Combines all functions though operates more on Policy and executive Policy and service delivery Policy and service delivery Service delivery Executive and Regulatory Service delivery and executive Support Indications With this it is possible to see at a glance misplacement of functions under any of the six departments in the directorate. For example, if any function under budget is not in line with policy and service delivery bracket, ground is created to raise questions as to the appropriateness of such misallocation of function. The same will be the case if there is a support function rather than service delivery in Statistics Department. Page 11

12 2 Strategic and Medium Term Objectives of BEPD Earlier in the process of Corporate Planning in the Central MDAs, strategic and medium term objectives were developed for this BEPD. This review was undertaken in the light of those goals and objectives which are presented in the table below: Strategic objectives Medium Term Objectives MTOs ( ) To facilitate state/sector wide implementation of the CDF. To align the annual budgets to MTSS/MTEF of 9 sectors from the CDF. To embrace the practice of performance management through periodic reviews (progress reviews and mid-point reviews) and evaluation of the State development policy document. 1. By end of 2013, to have completed 3 annual joint progress review of the change programme as it relates to BEPD. 2. By end of 2013, to have completed at least 2 annual progress reviews of the CDF. 3. By end of 2013, to have conducted Public Expenditure Performance Review in at least 1 key sector in the CDF. To continuously improve the planning process by aligning the state plans to national and international policies or standards and entrenching medium term planning approach such as MTSS. 1. By the end of 2013, to have completed at least 2 annual reviews of the state plans in line with the national and international policies and standards. 2. To have converted the six MTEP in Agriculture, Commerce and industry, Women Affairs, Economic Empowerment, and Critical Infrastructure to full pledged MTSS by the end of To have developed MTEP for identified additional sector, e.g. Town & Regional Development sector, by the end of To improve the Public Expenditure Management processes including Budget preparation, execution and reporting. 1. Support the extension of IFMIS in the three additional MDAs namely: Audit, Board of Internal Revenue and Ministry Page 12

13 for Local Government by the end of To enhance understanding of Budgetary guidelines for improved budget submission in line with Government Strategic Objectives as from To improve the state Statistical System for effective M&E Data Management system to enhance evidence-based planning. 1. By end of 2013, to have commenced operating the domesticated M&E Statistical Master Plan with the legal backing. 2. By end of 2013, to have a functional state- wide MIS. To improve the Donor Coordination for effective aid management through harmonisation /alignment of development partners support activities. 1. To have in place a policy for engaging development partners in the best interest of the state, by the end of Page 13

14 3 Review of Functions BEPD Functions and their implications In public service, a function is seen as a set of activities that has to be carried out in line with legal authority/prescriptions. There are established procedures or instructions from a superior authority, and these are expected to be carried out as unobtrusively as possible. The functions of a public entity spell out clearly the actions and activities assigned to that public entity, its departments and units towards the realisation of its mandate or set goals. The following section presents the current functions of the Directorate. The implications of each layer of functions are given immediately below them. Suggestions for improvements on functions are offered as part of the implications where possible. 3.1 Current Functions of the Directorate The Directorate is charged with the following responsibilities: i Preparation of the annual budget culminating in the draft Appropriation Bill submitted to the House of Assembly annually; ii Monitoring and Reporting on Budget Implementation; iii Issuance of Financial Warrants; iv Coordination the preparation of State Development Policy Document (short-, medium and long-term); v Coordination of State Planning Processes; vi Coordination of Aid Management and Donor Partnership; vii Generate and archive State Statistics; viii Oversee MDGs Coordination and Monitoring activities in the state. Apart from the above listed core mandates, the Directorate also serves as the Secretariat of the Economic Planning Board established by Law No. 10 of 1999 which performs several functions including determining and recommending the development policies of the state including coordinating the economic development activities of the Local Government Councils (LGC) as provided in section 7(3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999). It is also one of the key agencies in the implementation of the new Integrated Financed Management Information System (IFMIS) in the state. Discussions with top officials of the Directorate established that the following activities need to be carried out as routines in view of the new goals and objectives set for the Directorate within the Corporate Planning process: i ii iii Annual budget preparation workshops for MDAs, civil society and nongovernmental organisations, Constant steps to sustain and improve on the preparation of medium-term plans by sector agencies (MTSS and MTEF), Periodic reviews and sensitisation of relevant MDAs within the State on national and international development policies and declarations as they Page 14

15 affect Jigawa State planning processes. These would include National Sectoral Policies e.g. national Policy on Environment, National Policy on Water Supply and Sanitation, Education for All Initiative, NEPAD, MDGS, and National Vision 20:2020. The Department of Planning needs to spearhead this to ensure understanding and incorporation of such into sectoral policies and plans of the State. Comments on the Functions of the BEPD The Directorate is charged with unique and crucial state functions the sole agency responsible for Jigawa State Government budget preparation and management as well as economic planning activity similar to those performed at the federal level by the National Planning Commission. There are no indications of any duplication of this function with any other MDA in the State. This implies that the agency must have the right type of staff in sufficient quantity to perform these key functions of governance. It also requires that the BEPD must be functionally structured and adequately supported with the necessary resources to ensure optimal performance on its responsibility. This must be done within the limits of state resources. In addition, there is a need to establish a good Management Information System (MIS) Unit under the Monitoring and Evaluation unit in line with the envisaged M&E function with interface with Statistics functions in the proposed Statistics, Monitoring and Evaluation Department to support the new Statistical Master Plan when it becomes operational. In the same way, the IFMIS Desk would be required under the Budget Department to be staffed with personnel with sufficient skill in MIS and budget operations. 3.2 Current Functions of Budget Department Preparation and management of the annual budget of the State is at the heart of the functions of the entire Directorate. The Budget Department is the hub around which this function revolves. The department is charged with the following functions: i ii iii Preparation of the annual budgets through a participatory process involving all Government Agencies starting with preparation of medium-term fiscal profiles, receipts of revenue and expenditure proposals based on separate call circulars, bilateral discussions with the Government Agencies, deliberation by the state executive councils culminating with further deliberations and approval by the State House of Assembly; Management of the budget implementation process including processing and issuance of various financial warrants including the General Release Warrant and other in-year budget adjustment warrants such as Virement warrant and Contingency Transfer Warrant; Preparation of in-year periodic reports on budget implementation in conjunction with the other Departments. To perform these functions, the department is supported with eight members of staff made up of one Director, one Deputy Director, one Assistant Director, one Chief Planning Officer, one Principal Planning Officer, one Senior Planning Officer, one Planning Officer I and one Planning Officer II. Page 15

16 Comments on Functions of the Budget Department The functions of this department appear to be well aligned with mandates i-iii and the Directorate s related MTOs. The department is performing policy and service delivery functions in the typology of Public Administration functions outlined on page 10. The department works hand in hand with other departments to deliver on its functions. This signifies that there are good interdepartmental interactions where the function of one department mutually complements the other. Budget preparation is one of the core mandates of the Directorate and as such, necessarily involves all staff in the Directorate. However, it is observed that leaving the performance of the functions listed above in the hands of just six members of staff, no matter how competent they may be, appears to be too heavy a workload. The Department is understaffed. The function of monitoring budget implementation hitherto given to the erstwhile budget monitoring department, rightly belong to the budget department and should be officially transferred to the department (budget). Structure of Budget Department The department like all others does not have any organisational chart available but the line of command shows that the department is headed by a Director with a Deputy Director and an Assistant Director. Reporting to the Assistant Director are the Chief Planning Officer and Principal Planning Officer. Reporting to the Principal Planning Officer are the Senior Planning Officer and Planning Officer I and reporting to Planning Officer I is Planning Officer II. The department needs to design departmental organizational chart that shows how functions are allocated and performed within it. It is recommended that the department should be organized into units that are assigned specific functions to perform from the bulk of functions allocated to the department. 3.3 Current Functions of the Planning Department The core function of this department is economic planning. It is responsible for coordinating all policy planning activities in the State including preparation of short and medium terms plans. The functions of the department are specified as follows: i ii iii iv Preparation of the overall Development Policy Document of the State for the Secretariat under different names (Perspective Plans, Rolling Plans, State Economic Empowerment and Development Strategies (SEEDS) and the current Comprehensive Development Framework (CDF)); Monitoring and Evaluation of Development Plans and Government Policies including impact assessment, public expenditure reviews, socio-economic studies; Support other Government Agencies in the preparation of Sector Plans and Sector Policies such as the Medium Term Sector Strategies for the Health and Education Sectors and the State Water Policy; Coordinate the Capital Budget preparation aspect of the annual budget; Page 16

17 v Donor Coordination and Aid Management, which involves coordination and monitoring of the activities of International Development Agencies in the State. This function also entails ensuring effective integration of donor support and technical assistance within the overall state development framework. To perform this function, the department is supported with nine members of staff made up of one Director, one Deputy Director, one Assistant Director, one Chief Planning Officer, two Principal Planning Officers, 2 Planning Officer I and one Planning Officer II. The Chief Planning officer is on secondment to the Dutse Model School, and the Principal Planning Officer is on secondment to Federal Service; leaving the department with only seven members of staff. Each of the above-listed officers also serves as Desk Officers in two or more of the nine sectors in the State. Comments on Current Functions of Planning Department The functions performed by this department as listed above are largely policy and service delivery in the public service categorisation of functions. Also, the function of the Department appears to be properly aligned with mandates iv & v of the Directorate and related MTOs. This department is the equivalent of the National Planning Commission and as such, it makes sense to coordinate donor partners support under the department especially when it comes to ensuring effective integration of donor support and technical assistance within the overall state development framework. For the same reason, it is recommended that coordination of UNICEF activities should be moved to this department too. Although the official number of staff is put at 9, the actual staff strength is 6, as the position of the Deputy Director is currently vacant and 2 other staff are on secondment to other MDAs within and outside the State. The fact that each one of the remaining 6 staff serves as a Desk Officer in two or more of the 9 sectors in the State is indicative of how overstretched the staff are. However, the department is better off in the sense that their entire staffs are Planning Officers. This would indicate that they have the necessary skills to deliver effectively on their functions and this will be further verified at a later stage of the CP process. 3.4 Current Functions of Budget Monitoring Department i ii Undertakes periodic budget and project monitoring exercise for the preparation of Budget Implementation reports; Also serves as the coordinating office of UNICEF activities in the State. This department has no staff assigned to it at the moment. Its functions are being discharged under the budget department. Its organisational structure suggests that it was designed to have six staff to drive its assigned functions. Comments on Current Functions of the Budget Monitoring Department The scope within which the function of this department is defined seems to be too narrow as it is limited to budget monitoring alone. The functions of this department Page 17

18 need to be redefined in line with what the M&E work-stream of SPARC has already agreed with the Directorate. Also, the Directorate has already developed SOs and MTOs with heavy implications for knowledge management and performance management both of which are components of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E). Ongoing reform work by the M&E work-stream of SPARC has proposed a Department of Statistics, Monitoring and Evaluation in the Directorate which will combine functions currently performed by two separate departments namely: department of budget monitoring and Evaluation and the department of statistics. The department that emerged out of the exercise is to be called Department of Statistics, Monitoring and Evaluation. The new department when it becomes fully operational will perform the following functions: i ii iii iv v vi vii viii ix x xi xii xiii xiv xv xvi xvii Anchoring the overall co-ordination of the State M&E System; Preparing the State Performance Report yearly, prior to the start of the budgeting process. Submitting the State Report to office of the Governor, ExCo and State House of Assembly through appropriate channels; Publishing policy briefs from the State performance report to the public through appropriate channels; Taking ownership of Ministry and LGA templates and working with the M&E units in the DPRS of the Ministries to ensure those templates are submitted on time and with a high level of quality on a quarterly basis; and Recommending annual updates on development and economic indicators for performance tracking; Established realistic Performance benchmarks to guide future policy, strategy and financial targeting for the State; Define the required data for calculating the KPIs; Develop and facilitate the establishment of data capturing systems for all indicators in the DPRSs and LGAs; Work closely with the DPRSs and LGAs to ensure that data capturing systems are established and that data are captured efficiently; Lead data collection exercise, statistical analysis of all effectiveness and efficiency KPI data; Calculate the KPI performance over time and create historical performance of all KPIs; Establish medium and long term performance benchmarks as the tool for evidence-based economic and development performance management; Manage a central web-based data/information portal which all Ministries and LGA will be able to access on a real time basis; Manage the MDA and State-wide Performance Score Card; Manage State-wide data quality assurance; Ensure appropriate link with the M&E National Portal. The M&E work-stream will continue to support the department to transit into full scale performance of the above functions in the immediate, short and long terms. By implication therefore, any other functions hitherto assigned to either the erstwhile department of Budget Monitoring or the old Department of Statistics that are not Page 18

19 included in the above list of functions should be reassigned to other appropriate departments within the directorate. Suggestions towards this have been made in relevant sections of this report. 3.5 Current Functions of Statistics Department The department is responsible for the coordination of statistical activities in the State and advises government on policies methods and regulations relating to the development of statistics in the State. Its specific functions include among others: i ii iii The department serves as the State s Central statistical Agency akin to the NBS; In liaison with Departments for Planning, Research and Statistics in the Line Ministries and Local Government Councils, the department serves as the data bank for the State; The department undertakes periodic statistical publications such as the Statistical Year Book, Facts and Figures and periodic statistical surveys such as the CWIQ Survey and Market Calendars. Comments on Current Functions of Statistics Department The functions of this department appear to be in alignment with mandates vi and related MTOs of the Directorate listed above. The department is more on service delivery slots in the categorisation of Public Administration functions. The department s functions feed into budget and planning departments. Other MDAs also find their information bank quite useful. In line with the proposal of the M&E work stream for the creation of a department that incorporates the current functions of this department, the department will cease to exist on its own as presently constituted and become part and parcel of the proposed Department of Statistics, Monitoring and Evaluation as described above. The department has a Director, 4 Chief Statistical Officers, 1 Statistician II and six Field Assistants, which suggests that people who have the required skills perform the allocated functions. Nonetheless, the job of generating statistical data for the State, as envisaged in the new set of MTOs in the department, requires more than six Field Officers. Systematic job analysis during establishment plan of the Directorate will show whether the department is adequately staffed and in the right mix. The M&E work-stream of SPARC will also be in a better position to propose appropriate structure, the right size and quality of staff for the new department as proposed above. 3.6 Current Function of the Millennium Development Goals Coordination and Monitoring Department This Department, established in early 2008, plays a vital role in the attempts of the state Government to achieve the millennium goal. i The initiative is to enable Government to coordinate its actions to address the Millennium Development Goals and to ensure that they are fully synchronised with all the State s development policy objectives as captured in the State Development Policy Document; Page 19

20 ii iii The Department also serves as the State Focal Office for the implementation of Millennium Development Goals Conditional Grants project being operated by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on MDGs. This function covers preparation of the State CGS Proposals and coordinating the entire CGS projects/programmes implementation. Preparation of State Annual MDG report The department currently has one staff member, an experienced Director who is just days away from retirement. He is being supported to deliver on his allocated function by an Assistant Director who has another substantive portfolio of roles in another department within the Directorate. This points again to the fact that the Directorate as a whole has to address the issue of shortage of staff. Comments on Current Function of the Millennium Development Goals Coordination and Monitoring Department The MDGs are issues of global concern and of priority to governments in Nigeria. This department will continue with its functions as assigned to it by the official circular 2 from the Head of Civil Service which established it in the first place, until such a time that government decides otherwise. The department needs to be adequately staffed to perform those functions successfully. 3.7 Current Functions of Administration and Finance Department No official statement was made available on the functions of the department. However, conversations with the Director of the department and consideration of agencies responsible for similar functions in other States within the country, have led us to conclude that the department is expected to perform basic administrative and management support functions of the Directorate. This may include: i ii iii iv v vi vii General administration and management of the Directorate including: maintenance of assets, office building, office equipment and vehicles; Provision of advisory role on human resources functions: annual leave, upgrading, advancement, conversion, promotion, retirement; Maintaining good relationship with Personnel Management Board Meetings, Tenders Board, Board of Survey meetings; Collation of mid/annual budget from MDAs; Prepare the internal budget of the Directorate; Management of funds of the Directorate; Processing of payment, disbursement of funds & reconciliation of all Directorates Accounts. The department has 19 staff made up of one Director, one Staff Officer, one Personnel Officer I, one Chief Personnel Officer, one Accountant, one Senior Executive Officer Account, one Store Officer, one Clerical Officer, four Drivers, four Watchmen and three Messengers. 2 The circular in reference here was not made available to us for proper citation. Page 20

21 Comments on Current Functions of Administration and Finance Department The department is the best staffed in the Directorate but has poor documentation of its functions. The leadership of the department demonstrated some Level Five leadership traits like do-it-on-the-spot if it is necessary and possible. This is good for the department that must support other departments to perform their functions. 3.8 Core and Non-core Functions of the Directorate Core functions of a public agency may be taken as those assigned to it in its ministerial responsibilities that directly fulfils its purpose. For instance, BEPD was created to be the organ of Jigawa State government for budget and economic planning. Functions are then created to fulfil this purpose. Any function that is included on its list of assignments that has no direct connection with its essence, are considered as non-core. In line with the foregoing, the following are perceived as the core functions of the Directorate: i. Budget preparation and management ii. Economic and policy planning iii. Production of statistical data to inform planning and budgeting iv. Monitoring and evaluation of government programmes and projects as budgeted. v. Coordination of Donor Aid The Technical Working Committee (TWC) of the Directorate chaired by its Permanent Secretary (PS), is expected to decide on what to do with functions they all consider to be non-core to the Directorate. This will mean either to keep them or to assign them to other agencies where they would be better performed as core functions. Page 21

22 4 Summary of Functions of BEPD Based on the above discussion and taking into account all comments and suggestions, the recommended functions of departments within the Directorate may be summarized as follows: 4.1 Functions of Budget Department Preparation and management of the annual budget of the State is at the heart of the functions of the entire Directorate. The Budget Department is the hub around which this function revolves. The department is charged with the following functions: i ii iii iv Preparation of the annual budgets through a participatory process involving all Government Agencies starting with preparation of medium-term fiscal profiles, receipts of revenue and expenditure proposals based on separate call circulars, bilateral discussions with the Government Agencies, deliberation by the state executive councils culminating with further deliberations and approval by the State House of Assembly; Management of the budget implementation process including processing and issuance of various financial warrants including the General Release Warrant and other in-year budget adjustment warrants such as Virement Warrant and Contingency Transfer Warrant; Undertakes periodic budget and project monitoring exercise for the preparation of Budget Implementation reports; Preparation of in-year periodic reports on budget implementation in conjunction with the other Departments. 4.2 Functions of the Planning Department The core function of this department is economic planning. It is responsible for coordinating all policy planning activities in the State including preparation of short and medium terms plans. The functions of the department are specified as follows: i ii Preparation of the overall Development Policy Document of the State for the Secretariat under different names (Perspective Plans, Rolling Plans, State Economic Empowerment and Development Strategies (SEEDS) and the current Comprehensive Development Framework (CDF)); Monitoring and Evaluation of Development Plans and Government Policies including impact assessment, public expenditure reviews, socio-economic studies; Page 22

23 iii iv v vi Support other Government Agencies in the preparation of Sector Plans and Sector Policies such as the Medium Term Sector Strategies for the Health and Education Sectors and the State Water Policy; Coordinate the Capital Budget preparation aspect of the annual budget; Donor Coordination and Aid Management, which involves coordination and monitoring of the activities of International Development Agencies in the State. This function also entails ensuring effective integration of donor support and technical assistance within the overall state development framework. Also serves as the coordinating office of UNICEF activities in the State. 4.3 Functions of the Millennium Development Goals Coordination and Monitoring Department This Department, was established in early 2008, plays a vital role in the attempts of the state Government to achieve the millennium goal. i ii iii The initiative is to enable Government to coordinate its actions to address the Millennium Development Goals and to ensure that they are fully synchronised with all the State s development policy objectives as captured in the State Development Policy Document; The Department also serves as the State Focal Office for the implementation of Millennium Development Goals Conditional Grants project being operated by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on MDGs. This function covers preparation of the State CGS Proposals and coordinating the entire CGS projects/programmes implementation. Preparation of State Annual MDG report 4.4 Functions of the Department of Statistics, Monitoring and Evaluation The new department when it becomes fully operational will perform the following functions: i ii iii iv Anchoring the overall co-ordination of the State M&E System; Preparing the State Performance Report yearly, prior to the start of the budgeting process. Submitting the State Report to office of the Governor, ExCo and State House of Assembly through appropriate channels; Publishing policy briefs from the State performance report to the public through appropriate channels; Page 23

24 v vi vii viii ix x xi xii xiii xiv xv xvi xvii Taking ownership of Ministry and LGA templates and working with the M&E units in the DPRS of the Ministries to ensure those templates are submitted on time and with a high level of quality on a quarterly basis; and Recommending annual updates on development and economic indicators for performance tracking; Established realistic Performance benchmarks to guide future policy, strategy and financial targeting for the State; Define the required data for calculating the KPIs; Develop and facilitate the establishment of data capturing systems for all indicators in the DPRSs and LGAs; Work closely with the DPRSs and LGAs to ensure that data capturing systems are established and that data are captured efficiently; Lead data collection exercise, statistical analysis of all effectiveness and efficiency KPI data; Calculate the KPI performance over time and create historical performance of all KPIs; Establish medium and long term performance benchmarks as the tool for evidence-based economic and development performance management; Manage a central web-based data/information portal which all Ministries and LGA will be able to access on a real time basis; Manage the MDA and State-wide Performance Score Card; Manage State-wide data quality assurance; Ensure appropriate link with the M&E National Portal. 4.5 Functions of the Administration and Finance Department The department is expected to perform basic administrative and management support functions of the Directorate. This may include: i ii iii iv v vi General administration and management of the Directorate including: maintenance of assets, office building, office equipment and vehicles; Provision of advisory role on human resources functions: annual leave, upgrading, advancement, conversion, promotion, retirement; Maintain good relationship with Personnel Management Board Meetings, Civil Service Commission, Office of the Head of Service; Prepare the internal budget of the Directorate; Management of funds of the Directorate; Processing of payment, disbursement of funds & reconciliation of all the Directorate s Accounts. Page 24