By Grace Q. Bryant
The plenary of the House of Representatives has voted for the return of the national budget to be properly scrutinized.
The House’s decision comes following a communication from Margibi County District 3 Rep., Ellen Attoh-Wreh, requesting that the 2024 fiscal budget be sent back to the Executive for realignment.
Plenary took the decision during the fifth day sitting of first quarter of the first session of the 55th National Legislature.
Rep. Attoh-Wreh said, “I present my compliments and request that the 2024 Fiscal Budget be sent back to the Executive for realignment. Having perused the 2024 Fiscal Budget, I observed that the budget will need to be aligned with the agenda of the current government.”
She added, “In view of the above and due to the significance of the 2024 Budget, I would like you to kindly have it sent to the Executive for proper adjustment and realignment for the forward march of our country.”
It can be referenced that late last year, the Ministry of Finance submitted to the House of Representatives (HoR), the Draft National Budget in the tune of US$625.57 million for fiscal year 2024.
The then Deputy Finance Minister for Budget and Development Planning, Tanneh Geraldine Brunson, during the submission process on December 19, 2023, added that, of that amount, US$623.14, constituting 99.6 percent, is projected as domestic revenue, while the amount of US$ 2.43 million, or 0.39 percent, is projected to come from external resources.
Deputy Minister Brunson added that the total proposed expenditure for FY 2024 is US$625.57 million, in consonance with the projected resource envelope. The recurrent component of expenditure is US$594.54 million, or 95 percent of the total proposed expenditure, while the total cost of Public Sector Investment Projects is projected to be US$31.03 million, or 5 percent of the total proposed expenditure.
According to her, the first claims on available resources were focused on those obligatory expenditure categories that must be satisfied, noting, “In this regard, the total amount of US$594.54 million earmarked for recurrent expenditure has been allocated and guided by the following order of priority: Debt Service (Domestic and External), Compensation for Employees, Grants, Goods, and Services for Education and Health Sectors, among others.”
The Deputy Finance Minister for Budget and Development Planning at the time, stated that the submission process was pursuant to Section 17.1 of the Public Financial Management Act, covering the period January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024.
“Honorable Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives, while this budget is a reflection of the programs and priorities of the past administration, it should not be unexpected that the new administration may institute measures to tweak, recalibrate, or even recast the programs and priorities herein to indicate policy change, hopefully in the spirit of continuity in governance,” she said.
She then extended apologies for the delay in submission, attributed to the national preoccupation and distraction associated with the very competitive elections.
In the wake of mounting pressures, especially national debt burden and recurrent expenditures, only critical cross-cutting national programs and projects in three sectors have been proposed under the Public Sector Investment Program (PSIP) segment of the budget. Among these are the National Road Fund under the Infrastructure and Basic Services Sector,” the Minister added.
