CABRI: Strengthening Public Finance in Africa

CABRI, the Collaborative Africa Budget Reform Initiative, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to enhancing public financial management (PFM) practices across Africa. Established in 2010, CABRI operates as a platform for African countries to share knowledge, build capacity, and collectively address common challenges in budgeting and financial governance.

CABRI’s core mission is to support African governments in their efforts to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability of public spending. This is achieved through a range of activities focused on several key pillars:

Knowledge Sharing and Peer Learning: CABRI facilitates regular dialogues and workshops where finance ministers, budget directors, and other senior officials from African countries can exchange experiences, discuss best practices, and learn from each other’s successes and failures. This peer-to-peer learning approach is particularly valuable, as it fosters a sense of ownership and encourages the adoption of context-specific solutions.

Technical Assistance and Capacity Building: Recognizing that each country faces unique circumstances, CABRI provides tailored technical assistance to member states to support PFM reforms. This assistance can range from developing national strategies for budget reform to providing training on specific PFM techniques, such as programme-based budgeting or performance measurement.

Research and Analysis: CABRI conducts research on key PFM issues facing African countries, producing evidence-based analysis that informs policy debates and supports decision-making. Topics covered include fiscal transparency, debt management, revenue mobilisation, and the impact of public spending on development outcomes.

Advocacy and Awareness Raising: CABRI actively promotes the importance of good PFM practices at the regional and international levels. This includes advocating for greater transparency and accountability in public finances, as well as raising awareness of the challenges and opportunities facing African countries in this area.

A significant element of CABRI’s work involves promoting the use of programme-based budgeting (PBB) to link resource allocation to national development priorities. PBB requires governments to define clear objectives, develop measurable indicators, and track the performance of public programmes, ultimately leading to more effective and efficient use of public funds.

CABRI’s impact extends beyond individual countries. By fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing across the continent, it contributes to a stronger and more resilient African public finance landscape. This in turn supports sustainable economic growth, poverty reduction, and improved service delivery for citizens.

Looking ahead, CABRI is focused on adapting its approach to address emerging challenges, such as climate change, digitalisation, and the growing importance of domestic resource mobilisation. By remaining responsive to the evolving needs of its member states, CABRI will continue to play a vital role in strengthening public finance in Africa.