The Deputy Finance and Development Planning Minister for Administration Bill McGill Jones says the 2025 Budget and succeeding budgets will be shaped by insights gathered from ongoing consultations regarding the National Development Plans (NDPs).
Speaking Monday, September 30, 2024 in Monrovia, Minister Jones underscored the importance of representing all 73 electoral districts, over 100 administrative districts, and 15 counties in the budget formulation process.
“This budget must echo the voices of the people, not just the lawmakers or the technicians of the MFDP,” Minister Jones said. He said the NDPs will serve as essential guiding tools for developmental initiatives under the leadership of President Joseph N. Boakai.
The session, which convened lawmakers from Grand Bassa, River Cess, Sinoe, Montserrado, and Margibi Counties, highlighted the collaborative effort required among the Executive, Legislature, and Judiciary to ensure collective ownership of development strategies.
Grand Bassa Senator Gbeazohngar Milton Finley, Chair of the Bassa Legislative Caucus, praised the initiative to decentralize local government, emphasizing its importance for rural counties that struggle with developmental challenges. “We are here today to start the process of decentralizing our local government and improving the lives of our people,” he said.
Also speaking, Senator Willington Geevon-Smith of the River Cess Legislative Caucus stressed the need for decisive government action on county development initiatives, calling for an increase in the current allocation of $200,000 per county.
“With a national budget fluctuating between $650 million and $738 million, we can allocate $3 million to each county without harming the overall budget,” he said. However, Representative Simpson Wiah of the Sinoe Legislative Caucus urged leaders to adopt a “smart agenda” focused on impactful development projects.
The Chairman of the Margibi County Legislative Caucus Representative Ivar K. Jones also appreciated the government for inviting lawmakers for a consultation on the crafting of the National Development Plans. Representative Jones termed the consultations as a show of participatory democracy which is key to integrating the issues of the people in the national budget for implementation.
The lawmaker assured the support of the Legislature in upholding the decision of the people. Montserrado County District 17 Representative Bernard Blue Benson on behalf of his county Legislative Caucus termed the gathering of the lawmakers by the government as a meeting in the right direction for the direct representation of the people to examine what has come from the field and make their contributions in order to have an inclusive development.
The engagement session marks a critical step toward fostering a more inclusive budgeting process, aimed at ensuring that the needs and aspirations of all Liberians are addressed in the next five years.
