Sana'a: A training course on "Strategic Planning - Stages and Steps as an Entry Point for Applying Program and Performance Budgeting Methodology for the Fiscal Year 2027 in the Cleaning and Improvement Funds in the Capital Secretariat and the Governorates" concluded today at the Institute of Financial and Economic Sciences at the Ministry of Finance.
According to Yemen News Agency, the six-day course was organized by the Ministry of Finance in coordination with the Ministry of Local Administration and Rural Development. It was attended by more than 120 participants from the cleaning funds in the Secretariat and governorates, the Central Emergency Development Interventions Unit, the Al-Hodeidah Support and Development Fund, and the Ministry of Local Administration, representing the first cohort.
Participants received knowledge on strategic planning, encompassing basic stages of planning and situation analysis, formulating vision, mission, and values, identifying issues, priorities, and strategic objectives, preparing the implementation plan, and ending with monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. They learned to translate these objectives into programs, projects, activities, and performance indicators.
The conclusion of the course was attended by the Deputy Minister of Local Administration and Rural Development, Nasser Al-Mahdhar, and the Deputy Minister of Finance for the Policies and Budgets Sector, Yahya Al-Qamri. Al-Qamri considered the course a turning point for establishing a new phase of financial and planning work in Yemen.
He explained that the training involved more than theoretical concepts, serving as a practical entry point for applying program and performance budgeting from the fiscal year 2027. This transition from line-item budgeting is deemed crucial to enhance public spending efficiency, maximize resource utility, and achieve noticeable impacts for citizens.
"We gather today in mid-2026, putting the final touches on early and serious preparation for the fiscal year 2027. This reflects institutional maturity and full awareness that advance planning is the key to managing limited resources and directing them towards achieving sustainable development," Al-Qamri stated.
He emphasized the need to improve the performance of the funds and transition from traditional budgeting, which focuses on expenditure items, to program and performance budgeting, which focuses on results, efficiency, and service quality provided to citizens.
The Deputy Minister noted that course participants form the nucleus of financial reform in the cleaning funds in the governorates. They are expected to transfer knowledge and lead work teams in formulating strategic plans and preparing program and performance budgets for 2027 with precision and professionalism.
He highlighted that the cleaning funds in the Secretariat and governorates were chosen as the gateway for this transition within the first phase of preparing independent and affiliated units and special funds to apply the program and performance budgeting methodology. The course is a practical step in preparing government institutions for this methodology by building the foundation based on "strategic planning."
Trainees were urged to prepare and update strategic plans according to the learned methodology. They are to prepare programs, projects, and activities linked to strategic objectives, create program, project, and activity cards according to prepared templates, and build precise performance indicators to measure achievement and impact. Accurate cost estimation of activities based on scientific foundations is also encouraged to ensure budget accuracy and efficient resource use.
Deputy Minister Al-Qamri affirmed that the Ministry of Finance and the Financial Policies and Budgets Sector will continue supporting and advising trained personnel in the governorates to ensure a smooth transition and application of program and performance budgeting.
For his part, the Deputy Minister of Local Administration and Rural Development for the Development Sector, Ahmed Haij, affirmed the strategic importance of this course in advancing administrative and development work.
He regarded the course as a fundamental starting point for transitioning from traditional planning patterns to program and performance-based planning with precise measurement indicators, directly contributing to enhancing local funds and institutions' efficiency and improving community service quality.
At the conclusion, attended by the Deputy Ministers of Finance for the Organization and Government Accounts Sector, Aqeel Al-Mu'ayyad, and for Financial and Administrative Affairs, Jamil Al-Da'is, and the Assistant Deputy Minister for Financial Policies and Budgets, Abduljalil Al-Dar, and the Dean of the Institute of Financial and Economic Sciences, Dr. Majid Abu Lahoum, the Executive Director of the Cleaning Fund in the Capital Secretariat, Mohammed Sharaf al-Din, reviewed the course's themes on strategic planning and program and performance budgeting methodology in the cleaning funds.
He discussed the funds' needs for equipment, machinery, and staff and the challenges faced, emphasizing the necessity of finding solutions to these difficulties.
Following that, the Deputy Minister of Local Administration and Rural Development and the Deputy Ministers of Finance awarded certificates to the trainees, including directors of cleaning funds in the Capital Secretariat and governorates, and representatives of the Central Emergency Development Interventions Unit and the Al-Hodeidah Support and Development Fund.