This Wednesday, September 30, 2020, the conference room of the Ministry of the Economy and Finance served as a setting for a feedback session on the results of the joint mission (Financial Control – National Commission of Local Finance) to raise awareness of municipal actors on the issue. intervention of the delegates of the Financial Controller to the Municipalities. A session which took place in the presence of the authorities of the Ministry of the Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Decentralization and Local Governance, technical and financial partners from the decentralization sector then obviously several mayors, prefects and delegates of the Financial Controller.
At the initiative of the Minister of the Economy and Finance Romuald Wadagni, guarantor of the sound management of public finances, a joint Financial Control-National Commission of Local Finance (CONAFIL) mission on the intervention of the Delegates of the Financial Controller took place. held from July 22 to September 11, 2020 in the 77 municipalities of the country. It is therefore to report on this mission that this session was held. Indeed, it is by decree n ° 418-C / MEF / DC / SGM / CF / SP of February 18, 2019 that the Minister of the Economy and Finance instituted the visa of the Delegates of the Financial Controller to the departments on the draft public procurement contracts of the Communes subject to the approval of the Prefects. This decision came after the various recommendations of the audits of the Commune Development Support Fund (FADeC) cumulated with the advent of the new implementing texts of the public procurement code and in accordance with the texts on decentralization. Opening the ball of allocations the Financial Controller Eric George Yétongnon hinted: “The involvement of the Delegates of the Financial Controller on a portion of municipal expenses has recorded several improvements including: the quality of market contracts, compliance with the financial orthodoxy in terms of the execution of municipal expenditure and ultimately the assurance of the quality of deliverables ”
The Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Decentralization and Local Governance Noel Gankpé underlined the objective of this joint mission. To believe it, it allowed to
-present the inventory of the intervention of Financial Control in the control of local finances since 2019;
-exchange on the difficulties encountered by municipal actors in municipal procurement procedures;
– share, with the municipal actors, the instructions and modalities of execution of the budget which apply to the municipalities;
-finally discuss with the municipal actors on their concerns and the prospects for a good collaboration between the Financial Control.

Hermann Orou Takou, Chief of Staff of the Ministry of the Economy and Finance recalled axis 3 of pillar 2 of the Government Action Program (PAG) relating to the mobilization of financial resources and the strengthening of the management system of public finances to explain the special attention paid by the Government to good management and consolidation of public finances at both central and decentralized levels. He expressed the government’s gratitude to all the Technical and Financial Partners (TFPs) who intervene in the decentralization sector, in particular the KFW, the European Union, the World Bank, Swiss Cooperation etc.
Presenting the results of the mission, the Financial Controller recalled the context, made an inventory, before highlighting the lessons learned and ending with perspectives and recommendations. As lessons, it was noted a craze of elected officials and municipal executives, a considerable improvement in the quality of procurement contracts, an intervention of the DCF in the findings of de facto services with the effect of ensuring the quality of the works delivered. … In terms of perspectives and recommendations, Eric George Yétongnon underlined the need for advocacy with PTFs in the decentralization sector with a view to supporting Financial Control and strengthening collaboration between Financial Control and CONAFIL.
The mayor of the Municipality of Kouandé Sanni Didier Kouandé-Sounou, the prefect of the department of Zou Aimé Firmin Kouton and the Director of the KFW Benin-Togo, Dr Günter Roos each, as far as he is concerned, welcomed this reform which aims to better manage public resources and suggest the appointment of the Financial Controller Delegates to each Municipality.