Monrovia – Liberia’s 2027 budget begins with a hole already in it. Finance Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan opened the Executive Budget Hearings on Thursday with a sober message. A one-time inflow of about US$200 million lifted this year’s collections. It will not return next year. Ministries must therefore defend their 2026 performance and accept that not every request will be funded in full. The Mines Ministry beat its revenue target, yet its own deputy minister concedes the windfall cannot be repeated. A new Mining Revenue Task Force is the government’s early answer to the gap. As THE ANALYST reports, the hearings will test whether ministries can plan within realistic means before the Legislature sees the budget.
Liberia has started work on its 2027 national budget, with Finance Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan warning ministries and agencies that they will have to make difficult choices as government balances growing demands with limited resources.
The Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) opened the 2027 Executive Budget Hearings on Thursday, October 1, beginning a process in which government institutions will account for their 2026 performance and outline their priorities for next year. The hearings are expected to continue through October 9.
The opening session brought together the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME), the Special Presidential Project Coordinating Committee and the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC). But Ngafuan’s message was not simply about how much money ministries want. It was also about how much government can realistically afford.
One-Off Revenue Boost Creates Pressure
Ngafuan praised the Mines Ministry for exceeding its 2026 revenue target and recognized the contribution of the mining sector to government revenue. “You’ve done well. You’ve whetted the Liberian people’s appetite. They want us to do more,” he told officials.
But he cautioned that this year’s performance cannot simply be repeated in 2027. A major concern is a one-time revenue inflow of about US$200 million (L$36.47 billion), which helped strengthen this year’s collections but will not be available next year.
That means government will have to find other ways to close the gap while ministries and agencies continue to push for funding for their programs. Ngafuan asserted that government has to manage both sides of the equation — revenue and expenditure — and urged institutions to be realistic about what can be funded.
Ministries Urged to Prioritize
The Finance Minister said not every budget request can be approved in full. If an institution asks for more money than government can provide, he said, its leadership must decide which programs are most important and where spending can be reduced.
“If you wanted 100 and we only gave you 70,” Ngafuan said, the institution should determine how to adjust its plans while protecting its key activities. He also called on institutional budget committees to play a stronger role in reviewing priorities and preparing realistic proposals before ministries appear before the national budget team.
Mining Sector Looks for More Revenue
The MME acknowledged the pressure on revenue-generating institutions. The Deputy Mines Minister for Operations said the ministry had “set the bar high” and understood the challenge of maintaining strong revenue performance in 2027.
He said a Mining Revenue Task Force involving the Mines Ministry, MFDP and the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) is being organized to improve coordination and strengthen revenue collection. The Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) is also expected to participate.
The Deputy Minister said mining remains an important source of potential revenue, although increased production and investment do not always translate into immediate revenue gains. He also acknowledged that the US$200 million one-off inflow would not return next year. “We must do everything possible to be able to cover that gap,” he said.
The 2027 budget hearings will continue through October 9, with ministries and agencies expected to explain their 2026 performance and defend their priorities for the coming year. The process will help MFDP determine how limited public resources should be allocated before the budget is submitted to the Legislature.
See more Liberia News Network stories in Google Search by adding LNN as one of your Preferred Sources.
★ Add LNN as a Preferred Source