Monrovia, Liberia – The Executive Budget Hearings for Fiscal Year 2026 have been formally launched by the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), which is involving ministries, agencies, and commissions (MACs) in the process of creating the national budget.
The statute requires spending institutions to provide input to the Budget Policy and Coordination Committee regarding their commitments, plans, and rationales for projected budgets for the next fiscal year.
The Ministry of Agriculture, the Liberia Agriculture Commodity Regulatory Authority, the Cooperative Development Agency, and the Center Agricultural Research Institute were among the seven important government organizations that presented during the opening session. Ministry of Labor, National Investment Commission, and Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Hon. Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, Minister of Finance and Development Planning, emphasized the importance of the hearings and the Ministry’s legal obligation to timely submit the national budget in his opening remarks.
“The hearings are essential for gathering inputs, answering questions, and gathering evidence to inform national priorities. By law, we are required by the PFM Act to submit the national budget no later than October 31 for the ensuing fiscal year,” he said.
Budgetary allotments are not decided at random, Minister Ngafuan stressed. “A comprehensive and consultative allocation procedure is in place. The Ministry seeks to attain both allocation efficiency and effectiveness, we listen to the institutions, our budget spenders to determine the most effective and efficient way to allocate resources.”
He added that the budget-making process heavily relies on the government’s five-year development framework, the Arrest Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID). To improve public sector performance and service delivery across important areas, the AAID sets specific goals.
According to Minister Ngafuan, the proposed national budget for FY2026 is anticipated to rise from the $738 million amount from the previous year. He did concede, though, that the spending bodies’ plans are ambitious and need to be balanced with the current budgetary resources.
As he noted continued cooperation with the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) and other stakeholders to increase income and resource mobilization, he stated, “We expect significant growth compared to last year’s budget of $738 million.”
Additionally, Minister Ngafuan commended the Ministry of Agriculture for creating a thorough National Agricultural Development Plan prior to the introduction of AAID, saying that this kind of proactive planning will assist in coordinating sectoral priorities with the nation’s larger development agenda.
“We are not discouraged by large proposals, even though resource scarcity is an ever-present constraint,” he said, urging all institutions to be courageous in expressing their requirements.
According to Hon. Sarah McGill Mulbah, assistant minister for budget and development planning, the hearings are being held in accordance with the Public Financial Management (PFM) Law.
