Finance and Development Planning Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan has called for an end to widespread misconceptions surrounding Liberia’s national budget, while calling for “budget literacy.”
The remark of the minister comes in response to recent media reports accusing the government of overspending its FY2024 budget, an allegation he categorically rejects as misleading and unfounded.
Minister Ngafuan, speaking on a local radio station Thursday, March 6, 2025, said there’s a pressing need for a deeper understanding of the country’s fiscal operations, particularly among those who claim to be “Budget Experts” without a true grasp of how the government budget functions.
“There is a severe gap in budget literacy that must be addressed. It is troubling when individuals who lack the expertise make sweeping claims about overspending, undermining the integrity of the budget process,” Ngafuan stated.
The MFDP Minister did not hold back in defending the government’s financial practices, asserting that all instances of overspending reported in the FY2024 budget are legitimate and fully justified under the current legal framework.
He said the government operates under a well-established Budget Transfer Law, which allows for the transfer of funds from one budget line to another. According to him, the provision is designed to accommodate unforeseen events and urgent needs, including but not limited to national disasters, state funerals, by-elections, and other emergency programs that may arise unexpectedly.
Ngafuan’s statement serves as a strong rebuke to critics who have sought to misrepresent the government’s fiscal actions. He said his call for enhanced budget literacy is not just a defense of government spending, but also a rallying cry for greater public understanding and transparency in Liberia’s financial governance.
