Liberia: Joint Legislature Budget Committee Begins Hearings Today

The Legislative Budget Office (LBO) of the 55th Legislature has released scheduled hearings for the 2024 Draft National Budget, focusing primarily on the revenue component of the budget.

According to a press release from the House of Representatives, the budget hearing is set to commence on Monday, April 8, 2024, at 9:00 AM in the House’s first-floor conference room. All revenue hearings will be closed to the public. The Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, the Board of Tax Appeals, Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA), National Port Authority, and the Ministry of Mines & Energy will be the first to take the stand before the Joint Legislative Committee on Ways, Means, Finance and Budget. The Joint Budget Committee Chairman, Dixon Wlawlee Seboe will preside over the proceedings.

Day two of the hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, April 9, 2024, and will feature presentations from six key agencies: the Liberia Maritime Authority, Liberia Telecommunication Authority (LTA), National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NAFAA), Forestry Development Authority (FDA), and the Ministry of Transport.

On Wednesday, April 10, 2024, the spotlight will be on another batch of government agencies. The Ministry of Commerce & Industry/Liberia Business Registry, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice, Liberia Immigration Services (LIS), Liberia National Police, Liberia Petroleum Refining Corporation (LPRC), Liberia Petroleum Regulatory Authority, and the National Road Fund are among those expected to appear.

Day four will witness presentations from the Ministry of Public Works (MPW), the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), and the Ministry of Post & Telecommunications (MPT).

The House’s Press and Public Affairs release, quoting the LBO, underscored that all presentations will be led by heads of institutions. Additionally, team and sector head ministries will remain present to facilitate presentations by sector members.

Both the House of Representatives and the Senate have since agreed to jointly scrutinize the 2024 Draft National Budget, totaling US$692.4 million, within a 30-day timeframe.

This decision was announced by the Speaker of the House of Representatives at the opening of a 30-day extraordinary session convened on Tuesday, 2nd April. Reconvening of the lawmakers, who had been in a brief recess recently, was precipitated by an appeal from President Boakai for collaborative budget deliberations to enhance transparency and accountability in public financial management.

The Revenue Component was set to begin on April 5th, followed by the expenditure component, with separate reports for approval and concurrence anticipated thereafter.

The Joint Budget Committee Hearing of the House of Representatives and the Senate is triggered by an appeal from President Boakai urging lawmakers to deliberate actions collectively as a government and instructed heads of spending entities to lend their fullest cooperation as we endeavor to depart from business as usual to pursue a path of transparency and accountability in public financial management.