Publication: Guinea-Bissau Public Expenditure Review: Seizing the Moment - Managing Public Finance for Development
Date
2018-06
ISSN
Published
2018-06
Author(s)
World Bank Group
Abstract
Guinea-Bissau is a small state in West
Africa with a population of around 1.8 million. It is rich
in natural resources (fisheries, forestry and agriculture)
and biodiversity. Guinea-Bissau is host to a large variety
of ethnic groups, languages and religions, with communal and
ethnic-based violence remaining low. The country has a
history of political and institutional fragility dating back
to its independence from Portugal in 1973. Guinea-Bissau
continues to face formidable development challenges, but
resources remain very limited. Government spending on the
social sectors is low, which, combined with low efficiency,
translated into weak outcomes. The objective of the
Guinea-Bissau Public Expenditure Review (PER) is to analyze
government expenditure, fiscal revenue, and public financial
management in selected sectors (education, health, and
security). The sectors for analysis were selected based on a
combination of factors, including spending trends, budget
size, the country's development program, and World Bank
engagement. The PER has been initiated by the World Bank and
the team worked closely with the Ministry of Economy and
Finance (MEF), and line ministries throughout the process.
The PER is well aligned with the FY2018-2021 Country
Partnership Framework (CPF). The first two objectives of the
CPF are increased access to and quality of primary
education, and increased access to and quality of maternal
and health services. The CPF identifies limited fiscal space
and weak PFM systems as being among the key challenges to
improving access to quality social services. The PER also
supports the fourth pillar of the Government's National
Development Plan, Terra Ranka (Fresh Start), which aims to
develop the human capital potential of the population. The
three sectors under consideration together account for over
thirty percent of government expenditure; thus, any
efficiency improvements and/or expenditure savings in those
sectors are likely to be substantial.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“World Bank Group. 2018. Guinea-Bissau Public Expenditure Review: Seizing the Moment - Managing Public Finance for Development. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/32004 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”