Local government financial system checks overspending

The integrated financial system being used in the local councils has reduced workload in finance departments resulting in reduced spending, an official has said.

Director of finance for Lilongwe District Council, Gensher Mbwana, said the coming in of the new technology has made their job easier because they can now generate reports within a set period.

The financial system being used in the local councils uses Selenic Navigator module supplied by Technobrain, one of the country’s information technology companies.

Mbwana told Business News this week the new technology has solved most of the problems councils were facing such that there is no room for one to overspend as it is foolproof.

“Initially, councils could overspend by buying things that were not even on budgets, but now this is not possible. This system has countered the problem of overspending because once you want to use more money than what has been budgeted for it stops you,” he said.

Mbwana said if a system can stop overspending, then it means that more resources will be saved and used for their intended purposes.

Director of Finance for Dowa District Council, Ahmed Sadi, agreed with Mbwana that the new technology has made working in accounts a simpler job.

“Before, we were doing everything manually and there was a lot of unfinished work in our offices. These days when one wants to generate, a report you do not even complain.

“Even when I want to process payments, it is simpler because I spend what is on my budget and if I want to spend more this system stops me. When this system was not there, we were overspending, but now it is not possible,” he said.

But Sadi said it is important that more government officials are trained on how to use this new technology because there are other modules that are not being used.

“For example, there are modules for fleet management, project management, store management and human resource management which we are not using. I believe if we were using these modules, our jobs will be made much easier,” he said.

Mbwana, however, said if properly used, fleet management will make councils reduce the money they spend on fuel, tyres and general vehicle repairs.

He said government will intensify training of local authority officials so that all the modules that are in the system are properly used to curb over expenditure.