Governance and CompliancePublic Sector Governance and Accountability
Public institutions spend money raised from people who cannot take their custom elsewhere, which is why the accountability framework around them is stricter than anything in the private sector and why breaching it is a personal matter. This course covers operating within it. Delegates work through the public finance framework, the duties of an accounting officer and what cannot be delegated, and the authority and delegation structure beneath. Irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure are covered concretely, including how each arises from ordinary decisions. Consequence management follows. Oversight by auditors, parliament and the public is addressed, along with responding to an audit finding. The course closes on building controls that survive political pressure.
Course objectives
- Apply the public finance framework to daily decisions
- State the duties of an accounting officer and what cannot be delegated
- Structure authority and delegation lawfully
- Identify irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure as it arises
- Apply consequence management where a breach has occurred
- Respond to audit findings and oversight questioning
- Build controls that hold under political pressure
Who should attend
- Accounting officers and public sector executives
- Finance and supply chain staff in government
- Internal auditors in the public sector
- Board members of state owned entities
- Oversight and legislature support staff
Course outline
- 01Money from people who cannot go elsewhere
- 02The public finance framework
- 03Accounting officer duties
- 04Authority and delegation
- 05Irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure
- 06Consequence management
- 07Audit, oversight and public scrutiny
- 08Responding to findings and holding controls under pressure
Scheduled sessions
| Dates | Venue | Format | Price | Register |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 to 25 December 2026 | Online | Online | R6,500 per delegate | Register Now |
| 13 to 15 January 2027 | Lusaka, Zambia | Classroom | USD 995 per delegate | Register Now |
| 18 to 20 January 2027 | Pretoria, South Africa | Classroom | R14,950 per delegate | Register Now |