Gov’t begins FY2026 Budget Preparation

By Lewis S. Teh

The Government of Liberia, through the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, has officially launched the start of the fiscal year 2026 budget preparation process involving line ministries, agencies, and commissions.

The launch took place on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, at the famous Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ministerial Complex in the oldest Congo.

Delivering the opening and introductory remarks, Deputy Finance Minister for Budget, Madam Tanneh G. Brunson, says, “It is with a deep sense of purpose that I welcome you all to the official launch of Liberia’s fiscal year 2026 budget preparation process.”

“Today marks not just the beginning of a technical exercise, but a defining moment in our collective effort to translate our national vision to direct agenda for inclusive development into tangible resource and resource-driven action” thus, as custodians of our nation’s resources, it is our solemn duty to ensure that every dollar in the public budget is allocated efficiently, transparently, but more so in alignment with the aspirations of the people of Liberia.

She disclosed that the preparation of the fiscal year 2026 budget will be undertaken within the context of ongoing reforms, fiscal consolidation, and the need to address long-standing development challenges and emerging risks, such as climate change and global economic volatility.

 The direct agenda for inclusive development articulates the foundation for inclusive and sustainable growth, focusing on agriculture, roads, the rule of law, education, sanitation, and tourism, reflecting our firm commitment to reducing poverty, promoting equity, and enhancing the quality of life for all Liberians, she said.

The long-serving deputy minister noted that the FY 2026 national budget must therefore serve as a credible financing instrument to accelerate the delivery of these priorities, saying that within the context of a tight fiscal space, heightened demand for public services, and an urgent need to transform results, the process will emphasize result-driven budgeting and enhance stakeholder engagement.

The MFDP Deputy Budget Minister further stated that it is essential to place the strongest emphasis on baseline budgeting and medium-term planning to ensure that our allocations are grounded in actual needs, and more specifically, that they are aligned with sector strategies.

“We also need to ensure cost realism and prioritization, particularly for flagship projects in agriculture, road infrastructure, education, and health.” Inclusive consultations and enhanced interagency coordination to ensure coherence across government interventions, and most importantly, transparency and accountability.

For his part, Finance and Development Planning Minister Augustine K Ngafuan extolled heads of government entities for gracing the budget preparatory launch. He termed the launch as evidence of coordination. “We know that everything empties the legislature, but in the spirit of coordination, it’s beneficial for us to operate in sync so that you’re aware of what’s happening.”

“We intend to continue on the path we started last year, that is to ensure that the budget is passed before the start of the fiscal year,” adding Last year was a historic feat because it was the first time in a long time that we had the budget being passed before the start of the fiscal year.

This year, Minister Ngafuan informed his cabinet colleagues and partners that the government intends to meet all the timelines.

He said, “By law, the budget is to be tabled at the legislature no later than October 31st, which is why we have representation from the legislature. I need to tell you that we in the executive intend to meet that deadline. Last year, we started late, but we practically met the deadline until we had to wait and wait for the big brothers,” he adds.

“We waited for almost two weeks, but we’re done. So, this year, we intend to meet the deadline again,” Ngafuan explained. Last year started with some difficulties, he added. In the first and second quarters, in terms of revenue, the ministry did not perform as projected, but they were able to double their efforts, and by the end of the year, they surpassed the projection.

The minister further revealed that the budget ended with a slight surplus in 2024, and for that, “I would like to congratulate all and sundry, including the Commissioner General of the Liberia Revenue Authority and his team, as well as all others in the executive. This legislative effort was made to ensure that we raised the projected revenue and even surpassed it slightly. Last year, we had a budget surplus, and this year, too, in terms of domestic revenue, we raised nearly US$700 million.”

Last year’s budget was approximately US$738 million, compared to this year’s budget of US$818.7 million. The Government’s plan is to increase the budget by US$1 billion in the coming budget year.

However, according to Ngafuan, even if the government meets the 1 billion target, issues of scarcity will remain. This is so because some entities will still complain about not receiving sufficient budget to execute their plans.

“They have not been adequately budgeted for. But their complaint is positive because it represents ambition. People want to do more. They want to jump.”

He acknowledged that it’s good for people to have ambitions and to strive to do more. “We will try to capacitate your ambitions as much as we can, sometimes it’s not a matter of how much, it’s a matter of how little you have, how well you are using it. In budgeting, we assess the efficiency of spending.

The budget preparation launch featured a presentation on the current microeconomic outlook and the assumptions underpinning FY2026 budget preparation, including mobilizing resources through tax policy: FY2026 revenue outlook. -Edited by Othello B. Garblah.