Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe Country Integrated Fiduciary Assessment : Volume 4. Country Financial Accountability Assessment and Evaluation of Ongoing Reforms
This Integrated Fiduciary Assessment isthe first of its kind for Sao Tome and Principe. It combinesthe analysis and policy recommendations from a publicexpenditure review (PER), a country financial accountabilityassessment (CFAA), and a country procurement assessmentreview (CPAR). The goal of the report is to identify themajor challenges facing the country in the prepetroleum era(the next three to five years) in public finance management(including public enterprises) as it attempts to implementits National Poverty Reduction Strategy (NPRS) with a tightresource envelope. This executive summary presents recenteconomic developments and fiscal sustainability analysisthat takes into account petroleum and no-petroleumscenarios, with corresponding analysis on which of theMillennium Development Goals (MDGs) are reachable. Thesummary reports on revenue and expenditure performance since2000-01, issues related to the implementation of the publicinvestment program (PIP) and its coordination with the NPRS,and the budget process, including findings from the HealthPER, which highlights a lack of allocative efficiency. Thesummary reports on the financial fragility of state-ownedenterprises (SOEs) and the possible fiscal consequences forthe central budget, especially regarding the implicitsubsidies and tax breaks to (and the hypothetical tariffincreases of) the electricity and water company. The summaryof reports on the status of the public finance managementsystem (budget preparation, execution, control, governance,and human resources) and the reform process that may addressmany of the concerns it rises. Finally, the summary presentsthe findings related to the procurement process, includingthe legislative and regulatory framework, institutionalframework and management capacity, procurement operationsand market practices, and integrity and transparency of the system.