Africa-Press – Liberia. The Ministry of Finance and Development Planning’s (MFDP) unexpected publication of what it described as an approved Fiscal Year 2026 National Budget has sparked public debate and political scrutiny, amid the absence of any formal announcement from the Executive Mansion confirming that President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has signed the spending plan into law.
The FY2026 national budget—totaling US$1,248,728,191.15—was passed by the 55th Legislature in December 2025 and subsequently forwarded to the President for action, either to be signed into law or returned to the Legislature with objections, as provided for under the Constitution. Since the budget was transmitted to the President, however, there has been no official communication from the Executive Mansion indicating that it has been signed.
Notably, President Boakai did not announce the signing of the budget during his Annual Message to the Legislature, commonly referred to as the State of the Nation Address (SONA), despite referencing the budget’s passage and size.
“Last year, we submitted, and you approved a budget of more than US$1.2 billion for FY2026, representing the highest budget in the history of our country,” President Boakai told lawmakers. He attributed recent fiscal gains to improved policy choices, digitalization, and stronger compliance, and disclosed that the government was preparing to submit a supplementary budget.
“On account of the robust revenue performance for 2025, the fiscal authorities are concluding processes that will lead to the submission of a supplemental budget to the Legislature next month—the first in many years,” the President said.
Conflicting Signals
The uncertainty deepened a week later when Finance Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan announced that the government intended to submit a supplementary budget in February, while clarifying that the FY2025 budget remains the operative fiscal framework, despite the Legislature’s passage of the FY2026 budget.
Speaking at the opening of a three-day FY2026 Budget Execution Workshop, Ngafuan emphasized urgency, transparency, and accountability in public spending.
“It’s been a long time since a supplementary budget was submitted to the Legislature. But we are still executing the 2025 budget,” Ngafuan said, urging ministries and agencies to accelerate execution ahead of the March deadline.
“We have 90 days up to the end of March. Some of you still have to execute so that the March deadline doesn’t catch you off guard. Because at that point, the Comptroller, the Auditor General, and their teams will come and draw a hard line on us,” he warned.
Ngafuan’s remarks intensified speculation over the legal status of the FY2026 budget, particularly whether it had been signed into law and taken effect.
Lawmakers in the Dark
Since the Minister’s statement, FrontPage Africa has made inquiries to the Executive Branch and the Legislature seeking clarification, but received no official response. Several lawmakers privately acknowledged that they had not been formally informed by House leadership that the President had signed the budget.
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa, told FrontPage Africa that he had not received any signed copy of the budget.
“As to the facts about whether the President has signed or not, I have not received a signed copy in my office, so I can only assume it has not been signed,” Koffa said.
MFDP Publishes ‘Approved’ Budget
Despite the uncertainty, the MFDP late Sunday evening began sharing what it described as an approved FY2026 budget on its website. When contacted, a senior ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, claimed that President Boakai signed the budget on December 22, 2025, and that it took effect on January 1, 2026.
That assertion has raised further questions: Why was there no public announcement from the Executive Mansion? Why was the Legislature not formally notified? And why was the signed instrument neither printed nor circulated to lawmakers before being published online?
Public reaction quickly followed on social media.
“Did the President sign the budget?” asked Abenego F. Russell.
Lieata Pa added: “We didn’t hear any news that the President signed. Well…”
Silence From the Executive Mansion
Traditionally, once a national budget is signed into law, the Executive Mansion publishes the instrument on its official website and Facebook page as part of Liberia’s Open Budget Initiative under the Public Financial Management (PFM) Law, aimed at promoting transparency and accountability.
In this case, however, neither the Executive Mansion’s website nor its official social media platforms has carried any announcement or documentation confirming presidential assent to the FY2026 budget.
Even during his detailed SONA presentation—where he discussed revenue performance, fiscal reforms, and expenditure trends—the President did not explicitly state that the FY2026 budget had been signed into law, an omission that has fueled speculation among lawmakers and the public.
What’s in the Budget
For FY2025, the government approved a national budget of US$880.5 million, largely financed by US$804.6 million in domestic revenue. By year-end, total revenue reportedly reached US$885.8 million, exceeding projections by US$5.1 million. Domestic revenue alone hit US$847.7 million, surpassing estimates by US$43.1 million—the highest in Liberia’s history.
Domestic revenue increased by US$148 million over 2024, marking the largest single-year gain on record. Over the past two years, domestic revenue has grown by US$235.7 million, gains the President attributed to administrative reforms, improved compliance, and digital systems, including the establishment of a modern customs inspection center at the Freeport of Monrovia.
Unanswered Questions
Despite these fiscal gains, uncertainty surrounding the FY2026 budget remains. Conflicting accounts persist, with one version suggesting the instrument remains within the Executive Mansion, while another claims it was returned to the Legislature.
Until the Executive Mansion formally confirms the President’s action on the budget, questions over its legal status—and the government’s spending authority—are likely to linger.
Meanwhile, critics say the lack of transparency surrounding the President’s action on the budget could breed confusion, evoking memories of the 2024 national budget saga that was marred by claims and counterclaims of tampering.
In 2024, the alleged alteration (“fingering”) of the Liberian national budget became a major scandal, with accusations pointing towards a collaboration between officials in the Executive Branch – specifically the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, and the leadership of the 55th Legislature.
The Legislature passed the budget and transmitted it to the President for approval; he signed it into law. However, several lawmakers later protested, alleging that the version signed by the President was not the same document passed by the Legislature, but one that had been altered.
The Allegation
The approved 2024 budget of US$738.8 million was reportedly altered after its passage in April 2024, with discrepancies of around US$20 million (a 6.7% increment) noted in the printed version.
Some lawmakers accused the Ministry of Finance & Development Planning of altering the document before printing. The ministry denied the allegation.
Senators and representatives, including Senator Nathaniel Farlo McGill and Representative Musa Hassan Bility, accused the Executive. At the same time, some evidence pointed to unauthorized actions by officials in both the House and Senate.
Investigative findings confirmed that a motion regarding oversight was improperly altered to redirect reporting from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to the Legislative Budget Office (LBO), and that the original document was improperly recalled from the Executive by the Deputy Chief Clerk.
Although a specialized committee confirmed the unauthorized alterations, the House of Representatives did not impose sanctions, leading to frustration over the lack of accountability.
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