Budgeting for the Military Sector in Africa: Project Description

The project on the defence budgeting process in Africa was concluded in 2006.

The result of the project is presented in the book Budgeting for the Military Sector in Africa - The Processes and Mechanisms of Control.

The project on the military budgeting process in Africa was a joint project between SIPRI and Africa Security Dialogue and Research (ASDR) based in Accra, Ghana. It sought to increase the understanding of military expenditures in African states through the study of the processes of budgeting for defence expenditure as well as the mechanisms for controlling these expenditures in a selected number of African countries.

Background to the project:

The project is an offshoot of an earlier SIDA sponsored SIPRI project on African military expenditure. (For the results of the project, click here). The study was initiated to examine the reasons for the low level of available information on African countries' military expenditure in the SIPRI database and the standard sources with a view to improving this.

One of the findings of the SIPRI study is that data are indeed available in these countries but that these are given limited publicity so that very few people are aware of their existence. However, there is doubt as to the accuracy and reliability of such data.

Another finding of the study is that income from other sources (both open and hidden) to the military in these countries is not included in the final figure for defence spending in the annual budget. The implication of this is that the final defence expenditure figure is anything but a true reflection of the exact amount spent on military activities.

On the basis of these findings the SIPRI/ASDR project focuses on the budgetary process that generates the defence expenditure figure rather than on the final figure. The focus on process is expected to provide an increased understanding of the circumstances surrounding the emergence of the figure, and its reliability. But is there a process to begin with? To what extent is this in conformity with principles of sound public expenditure management? Is defence in particular subject to the same public expenditure standards as other sectors? What are the mechanisms by which the military allocation is monitored and controlled? Some of the questions that the project will seek to find answers to include:

The objectives of the project are:

• To obtain as accurate a picture of the military expenditures of African countries as possible
• To identify the various types and extent of extra-budgetary and hidden channels of funding military activities
• To obtain some insight into the defence budgeting processes of African countries
• To examine the various institutionalized mechanisms for controlling, monitoring and auditing defence expenditure in various African countries
• To increase local research capacity and knowledge in Africa in the area of defence spending in particular and military affairs in general

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The study examines the processes of budgeting for the military sector in eight African countries:  Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and South Africa.

Research questions

In the countries selected the project will seek to answer the following questions:

1. What are the main components of the country’s military expenditure? In other words, what is the country’s definition of military expenditure?
2. What are the functions of the country’s paramilitary forces and to what degree are they catered for by the defence allocation in the official budget?
3. How well does the present reported level of military expenditure reflect the true amount of economic resources devoted to military activities? This question involves a set of sub-topics, including the following:
   a) What are the other sources of income for the defence establishment apart from the defence budget?
   b) Which organizations take part in the defence budgeting, expenditure, auditing and enforcement processes and
   what are their relative influences on the decision making process?
   c) To what degree is military expenditure based on an assessment of the security environment?
   d) To what extent does the military have to compete with other ministries for limited resources?  What exactly are the roles of the finance ministries, budget office and audit department, among others, in the budgeting and expenditure process?
   e) What is the degree of parliamentary oversight in the defence budgeting and expenditure processes? In other words, how transparent is the process of defence budgeting and spending?
   f) To what degree is the defence budgeting process based on principles of sound public expenditure management?
4. Does the parliament and civil society as well as other institutions have any input into the budgeting process?

EXPECTED RESULTS (for some of the initial findings of the study, click here.)

• A better knowledge of the general budgeting and accounting processes in a number of African states, in particular their processes of determining military expenditure
• a better understanding of the oversight mechanisms and systems of control of the military
• some form of capacity building in matters relating to military expenditure management and oversight through the training to be given to members of parliaments and civilian members of the Ministry of Defence
• an increase in the capability of local researchers to undertake the studies on the defence management issues in particular and the military in general
• the establishment of a network of researchers on defence issues
• a publication produced jointly by ASDR and SIPRI that presents the findings of the project
• dissemination of the findings of the study with a special focus on African policy makers
  

Sponsors

The project is sponsored by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada and Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), Sweden.