and internal audit units. Government has developed a Financial Management Capability Maturity Model which provides the basis for a consistent assessment methodology to determine the capability of government institutions to discharge their financial management responsibilities. Another intervention is the Financial Capacity Building Model which has been implemented to ensure that national and provincial departments apply uniform skills audit processes and standards. South Africa has been ranked first in the 2010 Open Budget Index (OBI). The OBI is an independent, comparative measure of budget transparency and accountability around the world. Started in 2006, it is produced every two years. South Africa had scored 92 out of a possible 100 points. The index measures the ability of a country to release meaningful budget information, making it easy for the public and oversight institutions to hold government accountable, and to have meaningful input into decisions about how to use public resources. The Money Bills Amendment Procedure and Related Matters Act, Act 9 of 2009 was gazetted in April 2009. The Act aims to provide for a procedure to amend Money Bills before Parliament and for norms and standards for amending Money Bills before provincial legislature and as well as providing for a host of related matters. The Act establishes Appropriation Committees and Finance Committees in both Houses of Parliament. In essence, the Act enables Parliament to hold government accountable and for the first time affords it the power to amend the budget. Furthermore, the Act prescribes a new approach to the budgetary process as it enables Parliament to interrogate the strategic deployment of resources by government. The Act however does not confer unlimited powers to Parliament to amend the fiscal framework, strategic focus or actual budget allocations but strengthens its oversight roles and endeavours to move from ordinary to outcomes-based oversight. In order to institutionalise these capacity and skills improvement measures as well as in dealing with the public expenditure management gaps, PALAMA offers public servants training in the interest of improving service delivery. The institution has also introduced an Executive Development Programme that includes public expenditure management and finance as modules. There are also other initiatives by organs of state such as the DBSA’s Vulindlela Academy training programme on finance for senior managers in government across all spheres. 5.4 Economic Integration in Southern Africa South Africa considers regional economic relations in Southern Africa as an essential aspect of its broader international relations objectives. Government has committed itself to promote regional cooperation in a manner that addresses current trade imbalances. This view is based on the following major considerations: first, South Africa’s democratic transformation, stability, security and economic development could not be assured if the region and the continent continued to be confronted with underdevelopment, instability, poverty and marginalisation. Second, regional economic cooperation and integration presents opportunities for regional industries to expand their markets, achieve economies of scale, and enhance competitiveness as a platform to participate in the global economy. These considerations have been critical in informing South Africa’s engagement in two regional processes: the 37