Parliament’s Presiding Officers have appointed Professor Mohammed Jahed of the Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA) to assist with the establishment of the Parliamentary Budget Office.
Professor Jahed, who has been seconded to Parliament by the DBSA, will work on establishing the office until the end of the year.
The Money Bills Amendment Procedure and Related Matters Act of 2009 (Act No.9 0f 2009) provides for a procedure to amend money bills before Parliament. This includes the national budget, which, until the Act was passed, could either be approved or rejected by Parliament – but not amended.
Section 15 of the Act establishes the Parliamentary Budget Office, which has the mandate to provide independent, objective and professional advice and analysis to Parliament on matters related to the budget and other money bills.
Professor Jahed’s key responsibilities will be to:
- Liaise with the Standing, Select and Portfolio Committees of Parliament to assess needs and make recommendations on the possible capacity and organisation of the budget office.
- Engage with other support services in Parliament to assess functions and make recommendations on the complementary roles of the budget office. It may also be necessary to consult specialists from organisations such as the Financial and Fiscal Commission and the National Treasury.
- Advise Parliament on the contents of performance contracts of the director of the Parliamentary budget office.
- Liaise with Parliament and other agencies, if necessary, to secure suitable office space for the budget office.
- Compile a full report on activities and recommendations upon completion of operations.
Professor Jahed will be accountable to the Presiding Officers of Parliament for functional and operational issues for the duration of his secondment.
Professor Jahed holds a PhD in Economics and has served as senior economic planning specialist at the Development Bank of Southern Africa, as an academic at the University of the Witwatersrand, as director of economics with the National Business Initiative, as chief economist head of policy, strategy and research of the NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa’s Development) Secretariat and as Divisional Executive: Policy, Research and Integration at DBSA
Below, please find a short overview of Professor Jahed’s career.
Professor Mohammed I. Jahed
Professor Jahed holds a PhD in Economics and has obtained experience and expertise in economic development, economic policy formulation and public and development management.
He has served as senior economic planning specialist at the Development Bank of Southern Africa. He was appointed Deputy Director-General: Office of the Premier Limpopo Province, responsible for economic growth and development, economic policy, economic planning, transformation and provincial administration.
Prof Jahed joined the South African business sector representative group, the National Business Initiative, as Director of Economics. From 2003 to 2005, he was seconded by the South African Presidency as Chief Economist and Head of Policy, Strategy and Research of the NEPAD Secretariat.
Prof Jahed has been Professor at the University of Witwatersrand in the Graduate School of Public and Development Management (2005-2010). Prof Jahed teaches macroeconomic policy, public economics and public finance and supervises Master’s and Doctoral candidates. He continues to serve as Visiting Professor at WITS P&DM.
In May 2010, Prof Jahed has been employed at the Development Bank of Southern Africa as Divisional Executive: Policy and Integration. The function entails supporting policy, research and knowledge management functions.
In addition to having being appointed to the National Presidential B-BBEE Advisory Council Broad Based Black, Prof Jahed serves on various Boards, including, Chairman: Magalies Water Board; Director: Econometrix: Director
