The Ministry of Finance, in collaboration with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has initiated a training program on the Government Financial Statistics Manual (GFSM) 2014. The training is aimed at staff from various key government departments including the Ministry of Finance, Accountant General’s Department, National Revenue Authority, Bank of Sierra Leone, Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, and Statistics Sierra Leone.
Director of the Budget Bureau, Tasima Jah, highlighted that this two-week training began on July 22, 2025. It was organized following a request for Technical Assistance to improve data quality for informed policy decisions.
Director Jah emphasized the importance of adopting the GFSM 2014 framework for policy analysis and reporting. He noted that this transition would also enhance IMF program monitoring.
Economists Robert Osudi and Emmanuel Ramathuba from the IMF’s Government Finance Division provided an overview of the manual during a presentation. They covered topics such as economic flows, transactions, revenues, expenditures, financial assets, balance sheets, and economic classification.
Throughout their mission in Sierra Leone, they will engage with several divisions including Public Debt Division and Financial Decentralisation Division.