On December 16-17, the USAID-sponsored Libya Public Financial Management project (LPFM/Bab Al-Tamkeen) is conducting two workshops on the drafting of municipal Own Source Revenue (OSR) budgets for 2021 in Sabratha and AL Beyda. OSR includes monies that municipalities can raise from fees and taxes, such as business licensing, building permits, and billboards. The revenue is meant to pay for local services that impact people’s daily lives, such as the revitalization of health care centers or installation of youth sports facilities.
The workshops promote the development of budgets in a manner consistent with realistic revenue projections that are time bound and customized with each municipality’s context. As such, they provide the momentum needed to activate the Financial Revenue Regulation approved recently by the Presidential Council, which grants municipalities the financial authority to manage their day-to-day services and expenditure plans.
The workshops will reinforce the ownership of the newly established municipal budget committees, which are receiving technical assistance for capacity building from LPFM/Bab Al Tamkeen. They also are reiterating the true partnership between USAID and the municipalities across Libya to continuously improve delivery of cost-efficient services to citizens in accordance with the decentralization framework identified in Law 59 and as demonstrated by the Financial Revenue Regulation.
LPFM/Bab Al Tamkeen is a 5-year initiative of USAID in Libya, on behalf of the American people. It provides technical assistance and capacity building at national and municipal levels to strengthen Libya’s public financial management, revitalize its electricity sector, improve the delivery of key public services, and stimulate job and private sector growth.