Accountant General Matthew Branford explained that this Public Sector Accountants Conference aimed to address critical issues impacting public accountability, efficiency, and overall effectiveness within the government’s financial management system.
“Without the Treasury expediting on the obligations effectively, it affects the public. It affects the private sector businesses because there is a delay in payment processing and so on. So it’s absolutely necessary for us to ensure that we deliver on the obligations of the government in a timely manner. And we expedite that with our various processes. And the accountants are also participating in the agencies to ensure that that happens effectively and efficiently as well.”
The conference comes at a pivotal time, as the Government has introduced a new financial management system, InfoCloud Suite, to replace the long-standing SmartStream platform. This modern system, which integrates artificial intelligence (AI) technology, is designed to significantly enhance efficiency, accuracy, and transparency across the public service.
“Businesses are growing. The private sector is growing in technology and bringing in new innovation. Government must also bring in new innovation in its processes. We are responsible for a very, very important budget, which is the estimate of expenditure every year. So it’s important that the agencies of government come together to deliver on this budget and the promise that was made in the House of Assembly.”
The Accountant General emphasized that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, noting that the Treasury Department is committed to ensuring that all government agencies operate at optimal levels and effectively deliver on their programmes within the approved budget. He also announced a major shift away from paper checks to faster electronic payments.
“When we review our processes, we realize that we are printing a lot of checks. A lot of checks are being left. Persons are not aware that there is a payment because of maybe delays they had or experienced in the past. So we are now utilizing the EFT platform with the banks where we pay electronic funds transfer. And this allows us to pay persons much quickly, much faster than before, and that the monies get to their accounts with much ease than coming to the Treasury or a different location to collect a check and go to the bank.”
Branford pointed out that the Treasury Department, as the custodian of public funds, must lead the charge in ensuring accountability, transparency, and the timely fulfillment of the Government’s financial obligations. He added that the Accountant General’s Department will continue to work closely with accountants across the public service to strengthen financial management and enhance service delivery.