Course Description
This course is designed to provide participants with advanced conceptual background and analytical tools necessary to evaluate financial systems. The course is meant to complement related studies in accounting, finance, economics, business policy, and statistical analysis. Participants will discuss the financial systems, the accounting disclosure rules, the differential effects of alternative accounting principals, and the interpretation of financial information. They will also learn how financial institutions measure and manage their risks, and how they monitor and evaluate their systems by enhancing their knowledge and basic skills for effective performance of monitoring and evaluation processes.
Course Objectives
- Understanding the principles of financial management and the disbursements process of donor funds
- Following laid down donor specific procedures in funding requests
- Knowing the role on project stakeholders in project implementation
- Designing and monitoring donor budgets
- Explaining the various types of auditing, including compliance auditing and management auditing
- Putting in place internal control mechanisms
- Using financial management to create strategies
- Recognizing, understanding and analyzing financial statements
- Identifying risk factors relating to misstatements arising from fraudulent financial reporting
- Providing tools for efficient management of donor-funded projects
Who Should Attend?
- Financial Professionals
- Accounting professionals
- Finance staff and analysts
- Financial controllers
Course Details/Schedule
- Introduction to financial systems
- Business model analysis
- Sustainable earnings analysis
- Cash flow analysis
- Balance sheet analysis
- Credit analysis & equity analysis
- Financial forecasting and pro forma financial statements
- Forecasting external funding requirements
- Sustainable growth analysis
- Implications of a company's financing decisions
- Financial analysis of specialized industries
- Pre-course expectation analysis
- Definitions, principles and types of monitoring and evaluation activities
- Program management cycle
- Monitoring & evaluation cycles
- Logical framework for strategic planning
- Practical/group work: preparing a strategic plan
- Steps of Terms of Reference (TOR) or proposal for monitoring & evaluation activities
- Practical/Group work: preparing a Terms of Reference (TOR)
- Monitoring and evaluation methods
- Basic quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques
- Bias in data collection: definition, sources and control
- Data processing: analysis, interpret and presentation of routine program data
- Structure of a technical report: understanding observation, interpretation, conclusion and recommendation
- Practical/Group work: preparing an evidence-based report
- Post-course evaluation
- Community development and projects funding
- Funding requirements
- Project finance
- Capital budgeting and investment appraisal
- Donor policies and procedures
- Complying with donor procedures
- Expenditure prioritization
- Disbursement methods
- Banking: loan management/payment
- Expenditure budgets
- Constraints in fund management
- Project cycle management
- Project budgeting and planning
- Project financial management
- Financial management policy development
- Decentralized financial management and cost centre development
- Financial risk analysis techniques
- Financial performance measurement
- Internal control and control mechanisms
- Integrated accounting & financial systems
- Financial management
- Financial management systems
- Accounting policies and systems
- Auditing of financial statements
- Management control framework
- Auditor’s duties and responsibilities
- Knowledge of the law in relation to accounts and audit
- Internal controls
- Risk assessment
- Control activities
- Code of professional conduct and ethics
- Preparation of auditing procedures
- Planning and publishing the audit schedule
- Reporting
- Periodic reports
- Project Management reports
- Financial reporting (Periodic Requirements)
- The role of government in donor funded projects
- Action Planning
