Liberia’s Finance and Development Planning Minister, Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan
Monrovia – Liberia’s Finance and Development Planning Minister, Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, has called on government ministries, agencies and spending entities to ensure that the FY2027 National Budget is strictly aligned with the priorities of the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development.
By Emmanuel Weedee-Conway
He craved that new initiatives must not overshadow existing national commitments.
Minister Ngafuan made the assertion Thursday, July 23, during the official launch of the FY2027 Draft National Budget held at the EJS Ministerial Complex in Congo, outside Monrovia, under the theme: “Strengthening Fiscal Discipline and Strategic Resource Allocation for Inclusive and Sustainable Development.”
Minister Ngafuan stressed that the preparation process begins with interventions and programs already identified under the government’s national development framework, urging heads of government entities and budget officials to use the ARREST Agenda as their primary point of departure before introducing new proposals.
“As you craft your budget, the first instrument that you should go to is what you told us and what we agreed on: those interventions and programs, before you bring new things. You must tell us what you have done with all things,”
He urged budget operators, especially spending entities.
The Finance and Development Planning Minister pointed out that the government’s budgetary process prioritizes both allocation efficiency and operational efficiency, with resources directed toward national priorities and spent in a manner that delivers maximum impact to citizens.
According to him, every dollar allocated to a government entity must translate into tangible progress, with ministries and agencies expected to strengthen procurement, planning and service delivery to ensure that public resources are not wasted.
“We have to ensure that we are spending efficiently, effectively, that we are delivering service with the least costs. The dollar that you have been allocated must translate to impact. Every dollar must show that we are making progress.”
He further urged heads of government institutions, directors, controllers and procurement officers to take responsibility for ensuring efficient execution of the national budget, emphasizing that fiscal discipline is a shared responsibility and not one that rests solely with the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning.
Minister Ngafuan also cautioned spending entities against poor planning, which he said often results in unexpected requests for additional funding after the budget has already been approved.
By this, he encouraged government institutions to anticipate foreseeable needs and plan for the entire 12-month fiscal year.
“The budget is for 12 months so we have to plan well. If you do not plan well, you are setting the stage for budget execution that would not be on target,” he warned, adding that government cannot predict every unforeseen event but should adequately plan for issues that can reasonably be anticipated.
The Minister disclosed that the Ministry of Finance is also collecting independent data from counties and other regions as part of the budget preparation process to verify whether spending entities are adequately prioritizing critical needs within their respective sectors.
He explained that government sometimes receives budget submissions that fail to reflect essential sector priorities, resulting in challenges during budget execution.
The independent data-gathering exercise, he revealed, is intended to provide the Ministry with a more accurate picture of national needs and strengthen the credibility of the budgeting process
At the same time, Minister Ngafuan highlighted what he described as significant progress in Liberia’s fiscal management, including improvements in the timely submission and passage of the national budget.
He said the legislature’s passage of the budget before the start of the fiscal year in 2024 and 2025 represented a historic milestone for postwar Liberia and contributed to greater predictability and smoother budget execution.
The MFDP boss also cited increased domestic revenue mobilization, noting that Liberia collected nearly US$700 million in domestic revenue in 2024, before surpassing that record with more than US$840 million in 2025.
Based on these numbers, he recalled, the government subsequently submitted a US$1.2 billion budget for 2026, despite skepticism from critics who questioned the government’s revenue projections.
Minister Ngafuan attributed the progress to the collective efforts of the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA), the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), the Central Bank of Liberia and other government institutions, under the leadership of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai.
He contended that gains in domestic revenue and fiscal management must be sustained, emphasizing that Liberia cannot afford to become complacent, noting that the ARREST Agenda serves as the overarching development roadmap for aligning public resources toward the government’s objective of moving Liberia to lower-middle-income status by 2029.
“Allocation efficiency is to ensure that we’re allocating monies to our priorities. The ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development is a roadmap to take Liberia to lower-middle-income status by 2029,” added the Finance and Development Planning Minister.
