The government has directed budget and planning experts across public institutions to strengthen financial discipline and ensure public funds are spent strictly in line with approved plans and priorities.
The directive was issued by Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance Nsubili Joshua, who represented the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Natu El-Maamry Mwamba, when opening a working session on the assessment of government budget preparation and implementation in Dodoma.
The meeting, held at Kambarage Hall, Treasury Square, brought together planning and budget officials from ministries, independent departments, government agencies, regional secretariats and local government authorities.
Mr Joshua said effective budget implementation requires institutions to regularly convene budget committee meetings to set priorities, plan activities and allocate resources within approved budget ceilings.
He stressed that institutions must ensure their activities are implemented in accordance with approved budgets to strengthen accountability and improve the value derived from public spending.
“I urge you to prepare and update your institutional strategic plans by aligning them with the National Development Vision 2050, the Fourth Five-Year Development Plan (FYDP IV) and other sector plans,” Mr Joshua said.
He said closer alignment of institutional budgets with sector priorities would help improve coordination and ensure that government resources are directed towards interventions with the greatest impact.
Mr Joshua also urged participants to actively contribute ideas and recommendations that could improve budget preparation, implementation and oversight.
He said their views would be important in refining the Government Plan and Budget Preparation Guidelines for 2027/28–2029/30, whose preparation has already started.
The meeting is also expected to review the implementation of the 2025/26 budget and preparations for the 2026/27 budget, with participants examining achievements, challenges and areas requiring improvement.
Mr Joshua said the review should result in practical strategies to strengthen future planning and budgeting.
“Advice and recommendations arising from this meeting will help improve the preparation of these guidelines. I urge all participants to use this opportunity effectively so that we can have strong guidelines for preparing and implementing the government budget for 2027/28–2029/30,” he said.
Meanwhile, Acting Commissioner for Budget at the Ministry of Finance Raymond Kwohelera said the annual meeting provides a platform for budget experts and other stakeholders to assess challenges facing the budget process and propose solutions.
He said bringing together officials from different ministries, sectors and public institutions was intended to strengthen coordination in reviewing budget implementation and identifying areas where improvements are needed.
The government’s emphasis on financial discipline comes amid continued efforts to improve public resource management, strengthen accountability and ensure that approved development priorities translate into tangible services and projects for citizens.
