-- As budget hearing begins soon

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa, has directed the office of the Chief Clerk to distribute copies of the draft 2025 National Budget to all 72 members to promote accountability and transparency of the budget privacy of the House.

The directive from the Speaker, who was snubbed by the Executive as the budget was presented to members of the majority Bloc, comes ahead of the budget hearing process led by the House, one of the two chambers of the Legislature responsible for scrutinizing the budget as mandated by law.

The draft budget, submitted by the Ministry of Finance, is set to undergo rigorous examination in line with the legislative process. The House plenary vote to assign the budget to its Committee on Ways, Means, and Finance for detailed scrutiny. The Committee analyzes the document and reports back to the plenary at a later date.

In some instances, the plenary may mandate the House Budget Committee to collaborate with the Senate Budget Committee to jointly scrutinize the budget. This joint approach ensures a comprehensive review of the proposed revenue and expenditure plans.

Budget scrutiny process

The draft budget is reviewed in two main categories: revenue and expenditure. The Budget Committees instruct the Legislative Budget Office (LBO) to prepare a schedule and invite all government ministries and agencies to appear before the Committees. These appearances allow for public hearings where agencies present and justify their budgetary allocations, either under revenue generation or expenditure requests.

The scrutiny process underscores the Legislature's role in ensuring accountability and alignment of the national budget with Liberia's development priorities. The hearings are expected to provide a platform for robust discussions on revenue projections and expenditure plans, paving the way for an informed decision on the 2025 National Budget.