Deputy Finance Minister for Administration, Bill McGill Jones, has revealed that the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget and subsequent budgets under the current regime will be shaped by insights gathered from ongoing consultations regarding the National Development Plans (NDPs).
The Deputy Finance Minister made this disclosure on Monday, September 30, 2024, during the second day of legislative engagements in Monrovia.
The legislative engagements aim to finalize the County Development Agendas, the National Development Plan, and the Public Sector Investment Plan.
During the engagement, Minister Jones underscored the importance of representing all 73 electoral districts, over 100 administrative districts, and 15 counties in the budget formulation process.
“This budget must echo the voices of the people, not just the lawmakers or the technicians of the MFDP,” he stated.
He reiterated that the NDPs will serve as essential guiding tools for developmental initiatives under the leadership of President Joseph Nyumah Boakai.
The session, which convened lawmakers from Grand Bassa, River Cess, Sinoe, Montserrado, and Margibi, highlighted the collaborative effort required among the Executive, Legislature, and Judiciary to ensure collective ownership of development strategies.
For his part, Eddie Mulbah, Deputy Minister for Research and Development Planning at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, thanked the MFDP for the enactment of the Local Government Act of 2018, which empowers citizens to participate in governance through a decentralized framework.
In a brief remark, Senator Gbeazohngar Milton Finley, Chair of the Grand Bassa Legislative Caucus, praised the ministry for decentralizing local government, emphasizing its importance for rural counties that struggle with developmental challenges.
“We are here today to start the process of decentralizing our local government and improving the lives of our people,” he said.
Senator Willington Geevon-Smith of the River Cess Legislative Caucus also stressed the need for decisive government action on county development initiatives while calling for an increase in the current allocation of $200,000 per county.
“With a national budget fluctuating between $650 million and $738 million, we can allocate $3 million to each county without harming the overall budget,” he argued.
Representative Simpson Wiah of the Sinoe Legislative Caucus urged leaders to adopt a “smart agenda” focused on impactful development projects.
The Chairman of the Margibi County Legislative Caucus, Representative Ivar K. Jones, extolled the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning for inviting lawmakers for consultation on crafting the National Development Plans.
He termed the ongoing consultations as a demonstration of participatory democracy, which he says is key to integrating the issues of the people into the national budget for implementation.
Representative Jones was quick to assure the support of the Legislature in upholding the decision of the people.
Also speaking was Montserrado County District 17 Representative Bernard Blue Benson, who, on behalf of his county Legislative Caucus, termed the gathering of lawmakers by the government as a meeting in the right direction for the direct representation of the people, allowing them to examine what has come from the field and make their contributions for inclusive development.
The engagement session marks a critical step toward fostering a more inclusive budgeting process, aimed at ensuring that the needs and aspirations of all Liberians are addressed in the next five years.
