Francis Sardauna in Katsina
The Katsina State Government has commenced moves to plug financial leakages and strengthen the implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) system as part of efforts to improve accountability, transparency and efficiency in the management of the state’s public funds.
The State Commissioner for Finance, Alhaji Bello Hussaini Kagara, disclosed this Thursday at a one-day follow-up capacity-building workshop on TSA implementation organised by his ministry for accountants and initiators in the state.
He charged the accountants and other financial officers in the state to uphold high ethical standards and ensure efficient implementation of the treasury single account system.
He explained that the training was aimed at strengthening the capacity of financial officers, identifying operational gaps and improving the efficiency and transparency of the state’s financial management system.
He stressed the need for the state financial officers to identify issues surrounding payment processes, checks and balances, appropriations and the handling of payment vouchers (PVs), noting that gaps in these areas could undermine the effectiveness of the TSA system.
He explained that previous assessments had revealed instances where funds were transferred into accounts that were not intended to receive them, warning that such loopholes must be identified and addressed to safeguard government resources.
Kagara urged the participants, whom he described as critical operators of the system, to unravel challenges affecting the TSA operations and make practical recommendations that would help the state government to improve its financial management processes.
He said the state government was committed to periodic training of its financial officers to enable them update their knowledge, improve their skills and adapt to emerging developments in public financial management.
“We cannot have a perfect operation, but what we want is an efficient system. All we want to do is to ensure that we put in our best and do the best we can,” the commissioner said.
He assured the participants that recommendations arising from the workshop would be given serious consideration by the state government, adding that their contributions were important to improving the operational success of the TSA system.
The commissioner further urged the participants to demonstrate ethical competence, obedience to established procedures, self-reliance and the willingness to ask questions whenever necessary.
Kagara said the government expected the participants to translate the knowledge acquired from the training into improved performance and greater accountability in the discharge of their responsibilities.