Should ministers tighten their belts?

Should ministers be banned from foreign travel?

Chad's finance minister banned his fellow government ministers from travelling overseas on business trips this week as part of his cost-cutting measures.

Abbas Mahamat Tolli said the "drastic" move would help relieve debt.

It follows a move by Rwanda's government to impound 2,500 state vehicles, leaving ministers without their cars which are due to be sold off this week.

It is part of a scheme to save money and the government will now rely on private contractors for most transport.

Do you think such cost cutting should be implemented across Africa to help the continent balance its books? Or do such cutbacks just hamper government officials from doing their jobs properly? Can you suggest other belt-tightening measures?

Let us know your views using the form on the right

A selection of your views will be broadcast on the BBC's Focus on Africa programme on Saturday 10 September at 1700GMT.

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The following comments reflect the balance of views received:

For so long African governments and their MPs have managed to squander the good will their people give them through the ballot box by going on useless overseas trips of buying themselves big expensive SUVs which the country can ill afford. I congratulate the government of Chad and Rwanda for this bold move and I hope other African countries follow this example. There is a saying that charity begins at home, and it is about time African leaders learn this lesson for the sake of our people.
Kwami Ofosu-Hene, UK

Whilst our people starve, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and his entourage cruise around other countries. Mind you, these days he is not allowed to go to most Western countries, but it doesn't stop him travelling. At one stage Mugabe was the most travelled leader in the world.....and look how much good that did for us!
Alex Nhando, Zimbabwean in UK

I cannot speak for other African countries but certainly agree that Nigerian officials could do with less ostentation. The incongruity of a government team visiting London to press for debt relief being ensconced in luxury suites at plush hotels certainly undermines what in many cases is a strong and powerful case. Many officials are too grand to travel by public transport and scorn public transport in favour of expensive limousines and cabs. The retinue of aides that travel with top officials should also be cut. This last suggestion will be difficult to tackle without tackling the poor pay in the civil service which leads people to supplement their salaries through these foreign junkets for which they are paid heftily.
Ike, London, UK

Cost-cutting for African governments can be implemented in different ways. The problem is to find out whether such measures really benefit our governments in long run and are applied through the whole government system. A measure such as banning ministers from travel overseas may look good in our eyes and the international community while its minor thing compared to what our governments should do in terms of reducing costs and delivering efficient service to the public. Let's stop this kind of "show" and deliver real service to our people. As long as we do not have a genuine and altruistic reason, we will continue to play this kind of game that undermines the development of our continent.
Joseph Mugenga, Madison, Wisconsin

It is indeed a good initiative to reduce the unnecessary cost the poor African governments are subjected to. However, we should think of where the saving from this initiative goes. I am quite certain that the saving will still go into the pockets of the big guys in the government. Or they could use the decision to subject some to pay bribes in order to get what could be "special circumstances" that allow them to travel. I am therefore for the initiative if it is done wholeheartedly and some mechanism to strictly enforce it is in place.
Ahmat, N'Djamena, Chad

It is true that many African ministers spend too much on luxuries such as big fuel guzzling cars and expensive foreign trips in the guise of official business. While this extravagance debited on tax payers money should be curtailed by all means, it should not be done in a way that the ministers ability to perform in their duty to the citizens is jeopardised. The Rwanda and Chad cases are examples of extreme actions that may be counter-productive.
Peter Ndichu Karanja, Cape Town, South Africa.

I was happy to hear what Chad's finance minister did. People see politics in Africa not as a public service but as a business venture, it is time to make it clear to future ministers that, they are only civil servants not CEOs.
James, Ghana, Accra

The idea of cost-cutting is good and needs to be the hallmark of every administration. It shouldn't however be implemented just for the sake of it. There is what is called cost-benefits analysis and I strongly believe that government leaders who have no business education and have no idea what it means would themselves and their nations a lot of good by learning and practising it. And when I say "benefits", I'm not only referring to monetary gains.
William Oduro-Dompreh, Laurel, Maryland, USA

Yes travels by ministers and government officials should be cut. Other cost cutting measures like reducing number of ministries and foreign missions abroad should also be implemented. I am Kenyan I do not see the reason why we should have Kenyan embassies in Germany, France, Neatherlands, Sweden etc. Having one ambassador for the EU and may be another for the UK would do.
Akuku Mourice, Ulm, Germany/Kenya

I would support banning all overseas travel by all in government including the president for one year to save money to liquidate the domestic debt. After one year, overseas travel must be selective and hefty overseas allowances must be replaced by an accountable system which takes into account what you realistically need for your subsistence. Paying the domestic debt will have the trickle down effect and boost economic growth.
Alex Mwanakasale, Lusaka, Zambia

This is long overdue and should be emulated by well-meaning governments looking to demonstrate commitment to good governance. Funds spent on a single minister's overseas trip could feed 50 rural folk for two weeks - air tickets (they NEVER fly Economy), hotel bills, per diem, risk, etc. Why travel to the countries where diplomatic missions already exist? What then is the role of the missions? Most of the trips are only to relieve boredom, to visit friends and relatives and also to shop for their spouses. Most of them are also accompanied by huge groups of unidentified aides. The waste must be stopped! Whatever happened to faxes, ISDN lines and tele-conferencing?
Kwame Anim, Durban, South Africa

At the UN we have a system of flat rate travel allowances, so if you go to an expensive hotel you can end up out of pocket, whereas if you stay with a friend you can take him/her out to dinner and still be in profit (slightly). Perhaps that would be a good way to get these people to travel less ostentatously, and is certainly a good way to limit, rather than reduce, expense, as well as burocracy. I'm sure the UN could publish its list, which covers every conceivable place and is regularly updated.
anon, United Nations

Government officials do need cars to work effectively. I see one problem with the option of using private contractors to provide transport. Giving our level of corruption, would the selection of contractors be fair, would those chosen be fronting for a few people within the government, would the final cost of the scheme be less than what is being spent now? These are some of the points we have to think about. My opinion is that the number of cars in an entourage should not exceed 3 and a limit placed on the amount of money each official can claim as transport expenses.
Paul, Lagos, Nigeria