Sahel regional financial management II

funds. The project, which will be implemented by a competitively chosen contractor, will provide TA and training to both A.I.D. Missions and host governments. The project will provide long-term TA, the primary input, in the form of a resident team consisting of an expatriate FM expert and up to two Sahelian accountants/financial managers in all Sahelian countries except Cape Verde. The teams, which under the previous project spent 50% of their time on project accounting and certification, will normally spend less than 25% of their time on basic accountability, focusing instead on institutionalizing improved FM within the public and private sectors. Short-term TA will be provided from U.S. sources for particular needs, e.g., inventory control and auditing, and from host country/Sahelian sources (e.g., training institutions and private consultants). In both long- and short-term TA, increased emphasis will be put on using experts from the region. Long-term TA will include a project coordinator and a training specialist/materials development expert. In-country training workshops will be provided on a national level, as needed, and for specific groups of projects. The workshops will focus on FM practices and will use case situations based on existing projects. Semi-annual regional workshops will also be held to facilitate information exchange among project personnel in the various countries. Further project training will consist primarily of 2-3 month practical courses in accounting and mid-level project management for host country employees, to be held at regional locations. In addition, personnel from The Gambia and Chad will receive long-term academic training in accounting to reinforce skills acquired under the previous project. Improved FM will be indicated by, inter alia, A.I.D. project accounts managed by host governments to meet FAA 121(d) requirements, specialized FM practices for selected projects in place, and an increased number of trained accountants and financial managers in each country. The project will be implemented in Cape Verde, Mauritania, Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, and The Gambia.