Why is it important to strengthen civil society’s role in the budget process?

Strengthening the role of civil society in the budget process means empowering civil society organizations (CSOs), community groups, and non-governmental actors to actively engage in how public resources are planned, allocated, and monitored. This involves building their capacity to analyze public budgets, participate in budget debates, and hold public officials accountable throughout the entire budget cycle—from formulation to execution and audit. 

Not long ago, public budgeting was viewed as a closed-door process reserved for finance ministries, with minimal legislative or public involvement. Transparency and participation were often seen as risks to economic stability. Today, this view has shifted significantly. There is now broad consensus among governments, donors, and development institutions that citizen engagement and civil society participation are not only legitimate but essential to improving the efficiency, equity, and credibility of public financial management. 

Why is it important? 

CSOs bring the voices of citizens—particularly marginalized and underserved groups—into financial decision-making. Their participation strengthens transparency, improves service delivery, and reduces corruption and mismanagement of public funds. By helping translate complex budget information into accessible formats, CSOs enable informed public dialogue and support evidence-based policy advocacy. 

Moreover, civil society can play a key watchdog role, complementing the work of institutions like legislatures and supreme audit institutions (SAIs), which may lack the independence or resources to fully monitor budget execution. CSOs can flag misuse of funds, identify inefficiencies in service delivery, and even collaborate with oversight bodies to prioritize audits or share field-level insights. 

This collaborative model of budget governance is now widespread. Where just a few CSOs were involved in budget work two decades ago, today, hundreds of organizations across more than 100 countries contribute regularly to budget analysis, monitoring, and advocacy. Strengthening this role further supports democratic governance, increases accountability, and ensures that public budgets serve the people they are meant to benefit. 

What does
Nexus PFM Consulting offer?

We offer:

  • Capacity Building Workshops:  We design and deliver interactive workshops that build CSOs’ understanding of the budget cycle, public financial management (PFM) systems, debt oversight, and transparency tools. 
  • e-Courses & Learning Resources:  We create accessible, bilingual e-learning tools and online courses to strengthen foundational knowledge of budgeting, gender-responsive budgeting (GRB), and fiscal governance. Our materials are designed to support long-term learning and organizational development 
  • Facilitation & Convening:  We convene multi-stakeholder dialogues and workshops that bring together CSOs, government actors, and oversight bodies to foster trust, collaboration, and shared accountability. 

Notable Projects:

  • E-Course on Public Financial Management for Parliamentary Network Africa (PNA):
    Created and delivered a bilingual, interactive e-course on PFM and gender-responsive budgeting for Parliamentary Monitoring Organizations across Africa.
  • Support to Parliament Committees – Rwanda:
    Delivered training to strengthen collaboration between parliament and civil society for improved audit engagement and public communication.