Learning from ‘the Dutch way’

On 6 November 2008 a Nigerian delegation of 25 Financial Officers from various (semi-) governmental organisations and large companies visited The Hague Academy for Local Governance. Eager to learn about the Dutch way of (municipal) public financing, they were offered a tailor-made programme. In the morning they discussed Dutch public administration and compared it to their own system in Nigeria. Especially interesting for the financial experts was the Dutch way of public financing and expenditure.

Discussing differences between Dutch and Nigerian public financing.

After ‘the best lunch so far in The Hague’, the group travelled to the municipality of The Hague. In the Council Chamber a financial local government official explained finances and social expenditure in the City of The Hague. Following this, there was a discussion round, in which issues like the Dutch public salary scaling system, the quality of government personnel and transparency came up.

Members of the Nigerian delegation in the council chamber of The Hague city hall.

Some reactions from the participants:

• ‘The operations of the Academy and the Municipality are quite exemplary’.
• ‘I would strongly recommend The Hague Academy to other professionals’.
• ‘I enjoyed every aspect of today’s activities’.