The Ministry of Economic Planning and Development has launched a five-day validation workshop aimed at strengthening the country’s public management system through the review of the UMSEBE Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) Project Management Project.
The project, which began yesterday, has brought together stakeholders from government institutions to review, validate and refine the System Requirement Specifications (SRS) for the module.
The specifications were initially developed in 2017 and are now updated to align with current policy, operational demands and technological advancements. 
The initiative forms part of government’s broader efforts to modernise public investment management and accelerate the digitization of public sector processes.
Officially opening the workshop, Principal Planning Officer Siphiwe Sibandze said the exercise would only play a crucial role in improving the planning and management of public investment projects across government.
Sibandze urged participants to actively contribute their expertise during the validation process,
noting that their input would help develop a system capable of meeting the needs of government institutions while timely ultimately benefitting people of Eswatini.
Sibandze said the upgraded system would replace inefficient paper-based processes that often lead to delays in project implementation.
The digital platform is expected improve efficiency, strengthen coordination, enhance transparency and provide decision makers with quicker access to reliable information.
The workshop runs until July 31st and is expected to produce an updated set of system requirements that will guide the development of the Project Management Module under The UMSEBE IFMIS Programme,
supporting government’s ongoing efforts to strengthen financial management and improve public investment management through digital solutions.
The validation workshop is reviewing the existing System Requirement Specifications (SRSS) to ensure they align with the Eswatini Public Investment Management (PIM) Guidelines and other recent government reforms.
Once validated, the updated specifications will guide a Rwandan technical team in developing the Project Management Module within the UMSEBE IFMIS platform.
On the first day of the workshop, discussions focused on strengthening transparency, accountability and consistency in project appraisal.
Stakeholders considered how the new system should implement structured, guidance-based assessment processes through per-question scoring, allowing every appraisal decision to be supported by clearly defined criteria.
The proposed module will also incorporate Project National Committee (PNC) grading outcomes such as Pass, Return and Not Accepted, ensuring that project assessments remain consistent, objective and fully traceable.
Participants further stressed the importance of enforcing a robust pre-screening process before projects proceed to subsequent appraisal stages, improving the quality of projects entering the public investment pipeline.
Another key area of discussion centred on adopting a proportionate appraisal framework.
Under the proposed approach, projects will be classified using the E200 million threshold, with documentation requirements varying according to the size and complexity of each investment.
This framework is intended to ensure that larger and more complex projects undergo more rigorous appraisal while maintaining an efficient process for smaller investments.
To strengthen governance, stakeholders also explored mechanisms to prevent manipulation of the appraisal process.
These include automated controls capable of detecting project submissions that deliberately underestimate costs to avoid stricter documentation requirements, thereby safeguarding the integrity of the public investment management system.
The Ministry said the validation workshop demonstrates government’s continued commitment to improving public investment management through digital transformation,
enhanced governance and evidence-based decision-making.
The exercise is expected to produce an updated set of system requirements that will guide the development of the Project Management Module under the UMSEBE IFMIS programme and support the country’s ongoing efforts to modernise public financial management.
