The findings from this Institute for Democracy in South Africa study explore budget transparency from the ordinary citizen's perspective. It sheds some light on information required to engage meaningfully with budgetary and other decisions involving public resources from the ordinary citizen's perspective. In this regard, the study evaluates mechanisms promoting good governance accross nine African countries (Botswana, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, and Zambia) and identifies the main weaknesses of the budget process.