Liberia: Budget Hearing Starts Today

17 April 2024
The New Dawn (Monrovia)

The 2024 draft national budget is President Boakai's first fiscal instrument after the Legislature returned the previous version of the document left by his predecessor to allow the new regime to align the budget with its national development plans.

Liberia's 55th Legislature is due to commence a public hearing on the 2024 draft National Budget today, 17 April 2024.

The Joint Committee on Ways, Means, and Finance will start the public hearing in the Capitol Building's joint chambers.

The hearing will be presided over by the joint committee, which is chaired by Rep. Dixon W. Seboe and co-chaired by Sen. Prince Moye.

The public hearing will begin at 9:00 a.m., and various ministries, corporations, and government agencies will appear to defend their respective budgetary allotments.

This is President Joseph Nyumah Boakai's first fiscal instrument, as the Legislature returned the previous version of the document left by his predecessor, Mr. George Manneh Weah.

The move allowed the new administration to align the budget with its national development plans.

The Expenditure Hearing followed a week-long Revenue Component which was held behind closed doors.

Beginning at 9:00 am-10 Am on Wednesday, the Ministry of Finance Development Planning (MFDP) will take the stand to defend its budget.

It will be followed by the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) which is scheduled from 10:00 Am-11:00 Am.

The Ministry of Public Works will arrive mid-day from 11:00 am to 12:00 before legislators take their lunch break.

Other government institutions will appear after lunchtime. They include Health from 2:00 pm-3:00 pm, John F. Kennedy (JFK) Medical Center from 3:00 pm-4:00 pm, the National Public Health Institute (NPHIL) from 4:00 pm-5:00 pm, and the Jackson F. Doe Hospital.

More public hearings are expected in the coming days, and some government institutions to face the Legislature include the Ministry of Education, the University of Liberia, and William V.S. Tubman University.

The West African Examination Council (WAEC) [Liberia office], the Booker T. Washington Institute (BWI), the Monrovia Consolidated School System (MCSS), and the Ministry of Agriculture are expected to appear on Thursday.

On Friday, 19 April 2024, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Justice, the Liberia National Police, the Liberia Immigration Service (LIS), the Liberia National Fire Service, and the Ministry of National Defense will defend their budgets.

Subsequent public hearings will continue on Monday, 22 April 2024, involving the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC), Commerce, Gender, and the General Services Agency (GSA), the National Elections Commission (NEC), and the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC).

The Committee has requested that all Ministries, Agencies, and Corporations submit their Budget Performance Report for Calendar Year 2023 and their FY 2024 Draft Budget.

Read the original article on New Dawn.

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