The financial management of development projects is more than an administrative and control function. Sound financial management is a critical prerequisite for successful project delivery. Timely and precise financial data are indispensable for effective decision-making, as well as for corrective action on the part of project management to enhance the prospects of timely completion within the planned project budget and scope of deliverables. Sound project financial management provides the essential information needed by those who manage, implement and supervise projects, including government oversight agencies and financing institutions. It also provides reassurance for recipient countries, lenders and donor communities that funds have been used efficiently and for the purposes intended, and acts as a deterrent to fraud and corruption, since it provides internal controls and the ability to quickly identify unusual occurrences and deviations. By acquiring the competencies needed to set up the various components of an integrated project financial management system, with corresponding modules/procedures for planning and budgeting, accounting, financial reporting, internal control, auditing, procurement and disbursements, you will be able to position yourself as a certified and credible project financial officer.