On Tuesday, September 1, 2020, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in cooperation with the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia launched a training on Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA). Over the course of four days, the training introduced staff of the Directorate General (DG) Budget to international best practices for applying CBA to support the implementation of the government’s priority programs.
Secretary of DG Budget, Ms. Mariatul Aini, opened the training at Hotel Santika Premiere, Serpong.
In her speech, the Secretary stressed the importance of the USAID-supported CBA training in equipping the DG Budget’s staff with crucial skills to support the country’s economic recovery. “I am confident that after this training, the participating staff will be able to develop a more in-depth analysis and budget performance evaluation that will provide quality inputs to improve the decision making process for the upcoming budget review,” she noted.
The training was conducted within the framework of the USAID Economic Growth Support Activity (EGSA) program as part of USAID’s support to the Ministry of Finance to help strengthen the fiscal and financing framework, as well as the capacity of the Ministry of Finance to implement them.
Renata Simatupang, EGSA’s Chief of Party, welcomed the Secretary of DG Budget and training participants on behalf of USAID and DevTech.
She thanked Ministry of Finance, in particular DG Budget, for their continuous cooperation with USAID, and noted DG Budget’s strategic position to support the national economic recovery program by making sure that the fiscal and financing framework for the government’s priority programs is supported by an evidence-based analysis.
Over the course of four days, EGSA experts shared their expertise with twenty participants representing the DG Budget. The interactive training allowed participants to practice their newly acquired cost-benefit analysis skills and apply them in case studies on tourism, agriculture, village development and correctional facility projects. The syllabus of training and choices of case studies were prepared in collaboration with DG Budget, which reflect the priority sectors identified in the Government’s post-pandemic economic recovery scenario.
This is the first training conducted with face-to-face arrangement for DG Budget since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Indonesia in mid-March 2020.
EGSA took measures to ensure participants, trainers, and organizers’ safety and health by observing Government’s guidance on COVID-19 health protocol. Face masks were mandatory for all participants, trainers, and organizers at training venue and public spaces.
This training was made possible through the generous support of the American people through the United State Agency for International Development (USAID) and is organized as part of USAID’s general support and partnership with the Ministry of Finance.
To learn more about the Indonesia Economic Growth Support Activity (EGSA) visit the project page here.