National Assembly members call for stricter budget oversight

Legislators in the National Assembly are raising concerns regarding fiscal oversight and budget management. Hon. Lamin Ceesay, Member of the National Assembly for Kiang West, has called for tighter controls to prevent legal loopholes that allow large-scale transfers of funds between ministries without direct parliamentary approval. Ceesay highlighted instances of overspending, specifically noting that the Office of the President's expenditure for presidential visits reached D75 million, exceeding the approved D50 million allocation.

In a related development, the Finance and Public Accounts Committee (FPAC) has proposed a D6 million reduction in the Office of the President’s 2027 budget. The committee, led by Chairman Alagie S. Darboe, recommended redirecting D4 million from the recurrent budget and D2 million from the development budget to the National Council for Civic Education (NCCE). This reallocation is intended to support the NCCE’s development programs, personnel costs, and infrastructure, including the construction of an office building.