Minister Ngafuan to Face Senate’s Inquiry over Delay to Publish 2025 National Budget
Monrovia, Liberia: Liberia’s Finance and Development Planning Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan is poised to face the Senate's inquiry on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, over a delay to publish and distribute the Fiscal Year 2025 National Budget.
The Finance Minister delay to make the national budget totaling the amount of 880,66,874 million United States dollars public has a lifespan of two months since its passage by the 55th Legislature and subsequently signed into law by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai on Monday, January 6, 2025.
The Upper House of Liberia’s bicameral Legislature, through Plenary, which is the highest decision-making body, made known its uneasiness over Minister Ngafuan’s lackadaisical approach to having the most important financial document of the country published and distributed.
This delay in making the budget publicly accessible has ignited concerns among financial pundits about possible changes like the 2024 budget.
It can be recalled that an investigation carried out by a special committee constituted by embattled Speaker Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa confirmed the allegations of alteration of the 2024 National Budget.
The Koffa’s Special Committee findings revealed that unnamed high-ranking government officials from both the Executive and Legislative branches were involved with altering the 2024 national budget.
With these past indiscretions still afresh on mind, the delay in making the Fiscal Year 2025 National Budget public while it is being executed raises more questions than answers.
To get firsthand information on the cause of this delay, which raises transparency and accountability eyebrows, the Senate has mandated Senate Secretary Nanborlor Singbeh to formally request Minster Ngafuan's presence before the Plenary of the Senate.
The Senator's summons seeks to gather the necessary information as to why the Fiscal Year 2025 National Budget, which is already being executed, is not being made public.
Additionally, the Senate’s cross-examination of Minster Ngafuan will endeavor to allow the Minister to provide an explanation as to the delay in printing and distributing the version of the budget to members of the 55th Legislature.
The snare pace at which Minister Ngafuan is moving to make the national budget accessible has the proclivity to undermine the senate’s functions, amongst others, to superintend the government's expenditure.
The Liberian Senate has termed Minster Ngafuan's negligence to make the public financial document available in the timeframe captured in the Public Financial Management Law a breach of transparency.
Edited: E. Geedahgar Garsuah, Sr.
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