SADCOPAC Vice Chairperson Alice V. Ponco has called for Public Accounts Committees in the region to adopt anticipatory governance and build integrated accountability systems.
Ponco said the traditional reactive model of oversight was no longer adequate given current challenges including digital currencies, climate change and illicit financial flows.
“We can no longer afford to be spectators,” Ponco said. “It implores us to be proactive, to use our oversight tools not just to look back at what has happened, but to look forward and prevent what could happen.” 
Ponco said the conference sub-themes under three pillars; Defending the Purse, Scrutinising the Future and Strengthening the System are intended to address hidden debt, digital-era financial crimes and the effectiveness of climate finance.
She questioned whether climate finance was delivering tangible benefits or amounted to ‘greenwashing.’
She told delegates that closing the accountability gap requires PACs, Supreme Audit Institutions, Civil Society and government departments to operate as one system.
“It is no longer enough to simply identify problems; we must build the systems that solve them. We must ‘close the loop’ on our recommendations and end the impunity of ignored advice,” she said.
Ponco welcomed delegates on behalf of the host Parliament and expressed gratitude to His Majesty King Mswati III, the Government and people of Eswatini and the Speaker of the Parliament of Eswatini.
Ponco urged delegates to engage fully during the conference and to produce actionable resolutions.
