As Liberia prepares for landmark national budget hearings beginning Monday, Integrity Watch Liberia (IWL), with funding from Irish Aid through the Embassy of Ireland, on Friday convened a high-level Orientation Workshop for the House of Representatives' Committee on Ways, Means, Finance & Budget.
The session, held in Monrovia on November 14, 2025, comes at a critical moment as the country crosses the historic US$1.2 billion national budget threshold for the first time. According to IWL, the training is designed to strengthen legislators' technical capacity, deepen their understanding of legal and fiscal frameworks, and enhance the quality of legislative scrutiny during budget debates.
Welcoming lawmakers, IWL Executive Director Harold Aidoo described the budget milestone as both historic and challenging.
"This is an important milestone in the history of this country. For many years we've been yearning to optimize our national revenue. And for the first time we've hit the one billion -- not just one billion, but 1.2 billion mark," Aidoo said.
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He cautioned, however, that increased revenue must not lead to unsustainable public spending.
"Even though we have increased our budget by 1.3 billion, the current expenditure has also gone up exponentially. We are a bit concerned... because we are not too sure that some of the investments that contributed to the one billion are sustainable in the long term."
Aidoo emphasized that Liberia must avoid channelling new revenue into recurrent spending:
"Whatever new revenue we've identified that brought us to this point must be invested in strategic areas that ultimately benefit Liberians -- not be used for salaries or recurrent expenditure, which in my opinion is not sustainable."
He reaffirmed IWL's long-term commitment to supporting the Legislature through research, training, and policy advocacy.
"We look forward to working with you, not just in the short term, but in the long term to strengthen oversight and make Liberia a better place."
In his opening statement, Representative P. Mike Jurry of Maryland County thanked IWL for honoring the committee's request for a refresher training on the budget process.
"I wrote to request Integrity Watch to do a refresher training concentrating on the legislative budget hearing process -- discussing the draft budget, legislative review and debate, appropriation, reconciliation, and budget execution and monitoring," Jurry explained.
He stressed that continuous learning is essential for effective oversight.
"The refresher training will reinforce and update existing knowledge and skills. It combats the forgetting curve and keeps lawmakers sharp and up to date. When you refresh, you remind people -- it's not that you forget, but knowledge can go away."
Jurry assured the public that the committee will conduct a thorough, inclusive review of the budget.
"We are going to take into consideration all comments. We invite citizens, civil society, anyone with knowledge or skills, to join us as we debate this US$1.2 billion budget -- the first in Liberia's history."
Warning against misuse of unexpected revenue inflows, he said:
"When funds come into the country as windfall, we must be very careful. If we create a situation leading to salary increases that we cannot sustain, we will have serious challenges in the following years."
Representative Johnson S.N. Williams led lawmakers through the constitutional, legal, and policy foundations governing the national budget, providing what participants described as one of the most detailed reviews of the Legislature's authority in recent years.
Williams began by emphasizing the constitutional supremacy of the Legislature in national budgeting:
"Article 34(d) is a very famous responsibility of the Legislature. When it comes to the budget, it is important that we pay attention because it is constitutional. The first line of scrutiny begins with us."
He outlined key restrictions placed on the Executive:
"No money can be spent without the actions of the Legislature. No loan, no borrowing can take place without legislative approval."
Williams also highlighted issues surrounding off-budget donor spending, particularly on major infrastructure projects:
"Even if there is a loan component hidden within a donor-funded project, the Constitution requires legislative approval. The government of Liberia must have oversight of those funds."
He further explained mechanisms for budget surplus and deficit management under the Public Financial Management (PFM) Law:
"If, at mid-year, revenue exceeds projections, the Executive must return to the Legislature for approval to spend the surplus. Likewise, if there is a deficit, the law requires a recast of the budget."
He reminded lawmakers of their responsibility to demand timely budget submission:
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"If the budget is not submitted two months before the end of the fiscal year, the President must write the Legislature requesting an extension with justification. It is our responsibility to enforce this."
The orientation covered a wide range of technical subjects, including the Constitution, the PFM Act, the Revenue Code, the Budget Framework Paper, revenue assumptions, debt servicing, expenditure management, and the role of the Legislative Budget Office (LBO).
Williams stressed the importance of active participation:
"This program is designed to be interactive. We ask for your attention and participation as we review our authorities and responsibilities under the law."
As Liberia enters debate on its largest-ever national budget, Integrity Watch Liberia says its focus remains unchanged: ensuring that increased national resources are used to improve lives through stronger legislative oversight.
"As Liberia crosses the US$1.2 billion budget milestone, IWL remains committed, alongside its partners, to ensuring that resources are fairly allocated, transparently managed, and used to improve the lives of all Liberians."
