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About the Africa Latin America Mutual Learning Action Learning Initiative on PB Back<< | News Update | Completed Projects
Since its introduction in Brazil , Participatory Budgeting (PB) has been one of the most recognized innovations from developing countries in promoting citizen demand for good governance. It has since been embraced by many other countries in Latin America , North America , Europe , Asia , and more recently Africa . Underlying this success is the recognition that PB is an effective policy instrument for responsive governance, offering a platform for citizens to learn about public expenditure management, voice their preferences in revenue generation and budget planning, scrutinize procurement and monitor the delivery of services and infrastructure. While participatory budgeting is evolving rapidly throughout these regions in multiple forms and shapes, there is a growing recognition of the need to create spaces where practitioners can share their innovations and lessons to overcome common challenges more effectively. Taking this into consideration, and building upon successful peer-to-peer learning programs, the key development partners of the Africa Regional Seminar on Participatory Budgeting that was held in Durban from 10-14 March 2008 launched a pilot Mutual Learning Initiative that is intended to promote peer-to-peer learning and cooperation among Africa and Latin American practitioners. The initiative will support demand-driven projects which can contribute to direct cooperation and exchange between Africa and Latin America on the different aspects of participatory budgeting, such as policy reforms, budget transparency and fiscal literacy, citizens' voice in revenue generation and expenditure planning, as well as civil society oversight of public expenditure management, and delivery of infrastructure and services. The overarching objective of the Mutual Learning Initiative is to strengthen direct exchange and cooperation between Latin America and the African Continent practitioners on the subject of Participatory Budgeting. By creating and space through which PB practitioners in Latin America and the African Continent can exchange experiences and learn together, this initiative expect to:
The Africa-Latin America Mutual Learning Initiative on Participatory Budgeting is based on the core principle of demand-driven initiatives to promote direct collaboration and learning from peers. In other words, the participating institutions will be in the driver's sit to identify what they would like to learn, how they would like to learn, from whom they would like to learn, and what lessons they can share with their peers. The answers for these questions will set the parameters for the participants to prepare preliminary proposals for mutual learning. Taking these principles into considerations, the seminar organizers defined an agenda during the Seminar to allow the participants from the African Continent to get to know each other, learn about each others interests and about the kind of progress that is being made on issues of participatory budgeting, and also exchange with their Latin American counterparts about their experience with participatory budgeting. During the course of the Seminar participants from the African continent were also invited to partner with each other to form clusters, and each cluster was subsequently paired up with one or more Latin American institutions to develop a preliminary work plan proposal on a peer-to-peer mutual action learning activities. This on going research on revenue generation is selected local authorities in Malawi , Tanzania and Zambia is part of this important initiative. The primary objective of this research project is to use Participatory Budgeting process to maximize Revenue Generation in Local Governments in Africa by rallying stakeholders in the budgeting process so that they willingly contribute to local development and the provision of public service.
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