As part of effort to fight against corruption and promote transparency and accountability in Liberia, BudgIT Liberia is encouraging Liberians to familiarize themselves with the national budget every fiscal year to know exactly what their county stands to benefit from—projects, programs and other goods and services.
The civil society organization says it will give citizens a clear understanding about the various allocations made and thematic areas captured within the budget, including the impact on their livelihood.
BudgIT Liberia is a civic organization that applies technology to intersect citizens’ engagement withinstitutional improvement to facilitate change. The group is supported by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).
The two-day event began on Thursday, February 22, 2024. Day one of the civic engagement ended with about 20 stakeholders in attendance in Margibi County, and on Friday another meeting with about 20 citizens in Grand Bassa County. The meetings were held under the theme, “Citizens Engagement on the Government of Liberia’s ARREST Agenda to Guide the 2024 National Budget Allocation”.
During the opening of the citizens’ engagement, while giving an overview of the meeting, Abraham Varney, the Country Lead at BudgIT Liberia, said the event was meant to give first-hand information to citizens on the government budget processes and legal framework that guide Public Finance Management in Liberia and further understand the “ARREST” Agenda of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai.
Varney said the dialogue was also intended to gather recommendations from the citizens on how and what should be allocated to the various portions of the ARREST Agenda, which includes agriculture, road, rule of law, education, sanitation, and tourism.
He said it was further meant for the citizens of Margibi and Grand Bassa counties to develop a shallow budget that will be presented to the government as it is crafting the 2024 national budget.
Abraham Varney, Country Lead of BudgIT Liberia, said they are building the capacity of citizens under their “Budget Access Initiative” to make Liberians to be part of the budget processes of their country.
“We want the citizens’ recommendation to be part of the up-coming 2024 national budget. It was shocking that other people do not know about the national budget and what their county stands to benefit,” he said.
Varney said, instead of citizens telling the government what they want in their respective counties, the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning is formulating the budget and making allocations without their input.
He is calling on the government to bring back to life the open budget program, stating that if citizens are involved in the national budget preparation they will take ownership of the various projects.
BudgIT Liberia’s Country Lead said he also wants citizens to know what is in the national budget for them and how it is going to impact them. Expressing his displeasure, Varney added, “People sit at the Finance Ministry and craft the budget without engaging the citizens to know what they want.”
As part of buttressing government’s effort, the organization also tracked funds of projects earmarked in the national budget, holding those responsible accountable and simplifying the national budget to the understanding of locals.
Also speaking, Thomas Davis, Acting Superintendent of Grand Bassa County, admonished citizens to carefully observe the implementation of the ruling Unity Party’sagenda that talks about agriculture, road, rule of law, education, sanitation and tourism (ARREST).
Meanwhile, Davis stated that the full implementation of the Boakai-Koung administration’s ARREST agenda would improve the living condition of Liberians and make the country become one of the developed nations in Africa.
Explaining about the significance of the government’s ARREST agenda, Emmanuel Kollie, the Program Officer of BudgetIT Liberia, said the up-coming 2024 national budget is the first budget of the Unity Party government and it is crucial to the wellbeing of the citizens.
Kollie noted that from the first 2024 national budget, citizens will know whether the government is serious about their ARREST agenda, which aims to improve their livelihood.
At the close of the meetings, the participants from Margibi County and Grand Bassa County, which includedBarley Togba, Marjuir Eddie, Bunty Lee and others,commended BudgIT Liberia. They explained that in the past citizens were not aware of the government budget crafting processes and how monies are being allocated to different sectors in Liberia, thereby raising concern about how taxpayers’ monies are used by those at the helm of power.
They lauded BudgIT Liberia for the knowledge acquired, describing it as an eye-opener. The engagementswere attended by civil society actors, law enforcement officers, local authorities, women’s organizations, and youth groups among others of Margibi and Grand Bassa counties.
The various counties participants made several recommendations to the 55th Legislature through BudgIT Liberia, including increment in allocations to the agricultural and educational sectors to make them more effective and vibrant.