Senator Don Wehby, minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, is pushing for performance- based budgeting. - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer

The Inter-American Development Bank on Thursday approved technical support for Jamaica to assist with implementation of a medium-term plan to improve public sector management by transforming its planning and financial systems.

The IDB is providing US$1.6 million, while Jamaica will match the funds with US$600,000.

"The IDB is committed to improve development effectiveness in its member states," said IDB team leader Gonzalo Afcha, in a statement from the bank.

"With the implementation of this medium-term action plan, Jamaican authorities expect government interventions and activities to be better-prioritised, more focused on the objectives of modernisation and better communicated. In addition accountability mechanisms will be enhanced to better monitor and evaluate government institutional performance."

Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Finance, Senator Don Wehby, who is in charge of fiscal discipline in government, has said he plans to adopt a performance-based budgeting structure which requires departments to set and hold to targets.

The system, he said, would require retraining of financial officers and auditors, before its implementation.

The IDB said Thursday that Jamaica's plan was meant to improve efficiency and effectiveness in the utilisation of public resources by completing the process of adoption of modern financial and planning systems; and enhance accountability for the production of results.

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