MONROVIA — The Minister of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), Augustine Ngafuan, said the former ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) government left the country with a worthless national budget, noting that the mistakes made by the George Weah-led government would not be repeated under the Unity Party.
Ngafuan made his remarks yesterday at his office in Monrovia during a press engagement with media practitioners. He responded to the numerous criticisms directed at the 2026 US$1.2 billion budget.
He used the analogy of a child trapped in a pit, seeking freedom from their situation but seeing the expected rescuer five or more feet above, rather than in the same hole. He explained that this is similar to the current UP-led government, which is trying to pull the country out of a terrible condition, but people don't seem to recognize or appreciate the reality.
Criticizing the previous CDC government, the Minister stated that US$28 million was allocated in the 2023 budget for the National Security Agency (NSA), but the former administration of President George Weah spent US$84 million, resulting in a shortfall of US$56 million.
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Ngafuan stated that while he is not in a position to discuss the specifics of the funds allocated to the security agency, people should recognize that a lot goes into keeping the country safe-emphasizing that donors do not easily invest in a country's security sector like they do in other sectors such as education, agriculture, and health.
"We are paying the Central Bank the past debts taken by the CDC. We have to do it. US$16 million is in the budget for that. If not, think about that money being available for a salary increase. It could have been a great boost, but if we don't do it, we will slip off our IMF program. We, as a responsible government, will continue to intervene," the Finance Minister said.
He said the UP government is not reckless with borrowing money from the Central Bank and other multilateral financial institutions, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
To Critics of the Budget
The Finance Minister said that while he welcomes the public debate about the budget, he emphasized that people should have the facts and understanding of what budgeting is about before making statements that suggest the government is corrupt.
He says there are too many self-proclaimed experts on the budget, but many lack the facts. He points out that the budget is over 700 pages long, something he believes those criticizing it have not properly read or understood.
No salary increases for President, Vice President, and others.
Minister Ngafuan said there has been no increase in salary and personal benefits for the President, the Vice President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Deputy Speaker, and the Senate Pro Tempore.
"The money allotted to each of these offices does not go into the pockets of these people. No increment for any political appointee. No increment in the salaries of the President, Speaker and others. The personnel cost and other basic social services associated with running these offices is the one that takes the big chunk of the money," he said.
He added: "People who have been working with past Presidents and Vice Presidents, some of them are still there. We have to pay them. This thing about people thinking that the people is going to a politician is wrong. Some people know the fact but they do it deliberately. It is unfair, let's be fair."
The concern about over US$32 million allocated to six offices, including the President, Vice President, and the Speaker from 2024 to 2026 remains an issue. Critics say the government's ARREST agenda is not focused on rescuing the country but on benefiting a few people.
CDC Pay Scale still in use
When asked about increasing civil servants' salaries, the Minister revealed that the government is still using the CDC pay scale and plans to move away from it once the conditions are right to ensure the country stays on track with the IMF program. CDC faced criticism for harmonizing civil servants' pay during the 2023 campaign, with promises that the situation would improve after taking over governance.
Ngafuan said apart from the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) and the Judiciary, no other entity government agency or institution has experienced salary increment.
He clarified why many know that US$150 is the minimum amount civil servants receive, but there are civil servants who earn over US$2,000. "People will take pay but do not tell their spouses the truth. There are people making more money than what is out there in the public."
He noted that Liberia's wage policy is better than those of several countries in the sub-region.
Roads and Electricity top 2026 Budget Focus
Regarding infrastructure development, the Minister of Finance stated that the government will use the over US$200 million signature bonus from the ArcelorMittal concession for road connectivity and electricity supply expansion.
According to him, the two development projects would lead to the growth of other sectors, noting that when there are good roads, the health sector, agriculture, and education will prosper. About electricity, he mentioned that the government is doing everything it can to invest in expanding the sector to instill confidence for more development in other areas.
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At one point, when the President was asked about his three most important development priorities, he said, "priority number one is road; priority number two is road, and priority number three is road." "That is why we borrow from the Chinese, who say that the road to development begins with the development of roads."
Empowering LRA for more domestic revenue collection
The Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) has been appealing to the government to allow it to have access to five (5) percent of the total amount of money it collects in taxes, but such an appeal has not received full support. However, the Finance Minister said the government is doing everything possible to support LRA in its efforts to meet revenue collection targets.
Unlike in the past when foreign support to the budget was significant, the LRA has been increasing its collections since 2024. For the 2026 record US$1.2 billion, the Finance Minister said 94 percent will come from domestic revenue, while six percent is expected from external support.
