Senior officials from the treasury and regulatory departments of small nations around the world arrive in the Isle of Man this weekend, for an intense course in running sound public finances.

They are taking part in a tailored programme run by the Small Countries Financial Management Centre, now in its 4th year.

The project, originally funded by the Manx Government, has won wide acclaim and is now backed by the World Bank and Commonwealth Secretariat.

This year delegates have been attracted from nations such as Somoa, the Seychelles, Tonga, Botswana and Barbados.

High-powered tutors have been drawn from international finance bodies and elite academic insitutions.

The first week's tuition is based at the University Centre in the former Business School in Douglas, with a second week spent in Oxford.  

Programme Director Tim Cullen says the course is really making a difference: