MONROVIA — Citizens Movement for Change (CMC) political leader and Nimba County District #7 Representative Musa Hassan Bility has sharply criticized the draft 2026 national budget, describing it as unrealistic, unsustainable, and driven more by political performance than genuine development priorities.
Speaking Tuesday at the CMC headquarters in Congo Town, Bility said the US$1.2 billion budget submitted to the Legislature by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai through Finance and Development Planning Minister Augustine Ngafuan relies heavily on one-time windfalls and projections he believes are unlikely to materialize.
"This is an 'eating show' budget, crafted for spectacle and not for substance," Bility said. "It is built on illusions, fantasies disguised as policy and inflated by deception."
Revenue Assumptions Under Fire
Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn
Bility questioned the budget's reliance on the US$200 million signature bonus from ArcelorMittal, which accounts for nearly 17 percent of total projected revenue.
"Can a nation be built on a single windfall?" he asked. "The government's own revenue projections for 2027 and 2028 show that this growth is not sustainable."
He also criticized the projected US$10 million intake from the Asset Recovery Task Force, calling it "artificial inflation meant to push the budget above the US$1 billion mark."
Priority Concerns and Fiscal Risks
Bility argued that using temporary revenue sources to finance long-term programs risks destabilizing the government's fiscal stability. He urged the administration to instead direct such windfalls into long-term structural reforms, including what he called an agriculture development bank to support the majority of Liberian farmers.
"This country needs investment in the productivity of its people," he said. "Not consumption posing as development."
He accused the administration of misplaced priorities, pointing to a 25 percent increase in the legislative budget, from US$41 million to nearly US$52 million, and a 44 percent rise in national security spending to US$151.8 million.
"There is no justification for these increases while violent crimes rise and basic services remain strained," he said. "Compensation of public officials alone consumes 27 percent of the entire budget, US$329 million, while agriculture receives only 1 percent."
CMC's Alternative Vision
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Bility said his party plans to introduce what he called "The People's Budget," aimed at shifting national priorities toward agriculture, education, healthcare, infrastructure, and small business growth. He mentioned that the model focuses on reducing waste, improving tax compliance, and enforcing the Public Financial Management Law, especially the requirement for state-owned enterprises to submit annual financial plans, which several have failed to do.
"Liberia deserves a budget that builds, not one that eats," he said.
