AYV News, October 6, 2026
The Ministry of Finance has concluded the FY2027 Bilateral Budget Discussions, a key stage in Sierra Leone’s annual budget preparation process, with stakeholders emphasising alignment, accountability and the need to direct public resources towards national development priorities.
The discussions brought together Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), District Budget Oversight Committees (DBOCs), Non-State Actors (NSAs), civil society organisations, development partners, the media and other stakeholders.
Held under the theme “Building Resilience to Create Jobs,” the exercise focused on reviewing proposed programmes, expenditure requirements and resource needs for the 2027 financial year, while assessing their alignment with Government’s broader development objectives.
Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Finance, Hon. Kerefa A.F. Kargbo, and the Ministry, Director of Budget Tasima Jah thanked stakeholders for their active participation and contribution to the budget process.
He particularly commended the DBOCs, NSAs, civil society organisations, the media and the general public for their involvement in promoting transparency and participation in the preparation of the national budget.
The discussions provided an opportunity to scrutinise proposed expenditure, assess implementation challenges and examine whether planned programmes are likely to deliver measurable national development outcomes.
During the exercise, MDAs presented their planned activities, strategic priorities, achievements, implementation challenges and budget requirements for the FY2027–2029 period.
The presentations and subsequent engagements allowed the Ministry of Finance and participating stakeholders to assess the extent to which proposed programmes are aligned with the Government’s national priorities and the Medium-Term National Development Plan.
Key areas of focus included food security and Feed Salone, job creation, human capital development, infrastructure, technology and innovation, domestic revenue mobilisation, public financial management and public service reform.
MDAs were also encouraged to develop realistic and achievable programmes that take into account the country’s available fiscal space.
The bilateral discussions further examined MDA budget ceilings and resource gaps, past performance and expenditure execution, recurrent and capital programmes, as well as donor-funded projects.
Stakeholders also assessed the alignment of proposed interventions with national development priorities, while the participation of DBOCs, civil society, NSAs and the media strengthened public oversight and accountability in the budget process.
With the conclusion of the bilateral discussions, the Ministry of Finance is expected to consolidate the outcomes of the engagements and use the recommendations to inform final resource allocations.
The process is expected to contribute to the finalisation of Sierra Leone’s FY2027 National Budget, with spending decisions guided by Government priorities, implementation capacity and prevailing fiscal realities.
