The Parliament of Sierra Leone has on Friday, 05/12/2025, concluded debate on the Bill entitled: ”The Appropriation Act of 2026″, for the services of Sierra Leone, on the theme: ‘’Enhancing Domestic Revenue Mobilization to Sustain Economic Development for Service Delivery’’.
The Bill is seeking to authorize expenditure from the consolidated fund for the services of Sierra Leone for the financial year 2026 and to provide for other related matters.
Continuing the debate, Deputy Whip 2 of Opposition, Hon. Catherine Zainab Tarawally, representing Bombali District, refuted claims made by the previous debaters and went on to clarify that the CRSG began operations from the days of the previous government. She continued that the initiative of ‘’Feed Salone’’ without good harvesters is an unrealistic project.’’ We cannot ‘’feed Salone’’ when the people are not benefiting from the work”, she said. Hon. Zainab said the proposal to increase prices on the importation of maggi and tomatoes should not be done by the government. Referencing page 32 of the Budget, Hon Zainab said, the wages and salary for teachers need to be improved and asked about the number of teachers recruited in 2025. She ended by encouraging the government to pay more attention on the health of women and girls. “The 2026 budget is politically appalling and politically fragile’’, she ended.
Deputy Chief Whip 2 Hon. Neneh Lebbie, representing Bo District, encouraged Members of Parliament to be more patriotic and prioritize the interests of the country when debating. She said the government has brought energy to many Districts across the country, including Tonkolili, Moyamba, among others. ‘’We need to come together and deliver for the people of the country’’, she said. Hon. Lebbie said the traders are seeking support from the government to get more electricity in order to enhance their businesses effectively. She asked for more government’s interventions as foreigners, including Liberians are coming in Sierra Leone to do fishing illegally.
Whip of the Opposition, Hon. Abdul Karim Kamara, representing Kambia District, began his submission by saying that 80% of what was captured in the 2025 budget was not achieved by the government. He said the the prices of certain food commodities were still a huge burden on the people of Sierra Leone. He particularly encouraged the government to increase the allocations to security personnel. Hon. Kamara said that access to the safe and quality water sector is still a major challenge across Sierra Leone. He said the proposed increment in fuel and cement will skyrocket the prices of items in the country. He however expressed dissatisfaction on the late disbursement allocations to the local councils, whilst giving huge allocations to other institutions. He ended by asking the Ministry to rehabilitate and/or construct major roads, including the Tom Pari road in the country.
Hon. Moses Edwin, representing Bonthe District, described the budget as indeed a pro- poor budget. Referring the House to pages 2 and 5 of the budget speech, Hon. Edwin said the objective of the budget was clearly stated. He said the life expectancy in Sierra Leone has drastically improved from 43 to 63 years. He commended the government for its tireless commitments to providing basic needs for the people of Sierra Leone. We need to be patriotic, and we need to be truthful to ourselves. The Ministry of Finance is doing well, and the policies are robust, he ended.
The Deputy Leader of Opposition 2, Hon. Aaron Aruna Koroma, representing Tonkolili District, extends appreciation to the Ministry for the compilation of the budget. He said councils are essential in the day- to-day running of the state and that the operations of councils required urgent government’s attention. Each time you starve councils of funds, you are starving the people of Sierra Leone’’, he said. Hon. Aaron debunked the claims that the budget is a pro- poor budget as according to him, the budget is bringing more burdens on the people. ‘’The budget does not protect the poor but rather bring more hardship to the people of Sierra Leone’’, he said. He ended by encouraging the government to prioritize the people and to minimize hardship and make life easier for all Sierra Leoneans.
Hon. Quintin Salia-Konneh, representing Kailahun District, emphasized the theme of the budget, which was to prioritize revenue mobilization. He said the government needs more strategies to generate revenue internally and that the government was committed to doing so. He said that the government could not rely on donor funds, which was why efforts are being made to generate more funds to bring developments in the country. He continued that for the first time in 22 years, the government was experiencing single digit inflation.’’ We have been able to stabilize the economy and that the government should be much more celebrated’’, he ended.
Hon. Dr. Sorie Unpha Koroma encouraged lawmakers to do due diligence to the document. He said the nation was benefiting from the extended credit facility of the IMF, but Sierra Leone was challenged in meeting the standards to benefits from the facility. He said the budget’s objective was not reflective in what was captured in the entire document. He encouraged the government to place more priority in addressing the needs of the people than allocating huge chunks of money to certain offices.’’ The nation has to be prioritised in order to deliver for the people’’, he ended.
The President of Parliamentary Female Caucus, Hon. Wuyata Bernadette Songa, representing Kailahun District highlighted the improvements made in the health sector and that Sierra Leone was at 8% of the Maputo protocols ratings. She also said that the government has been able to increase the life expectancy of Sierra Leoneans through the efforts of President Bio’s government. ‘’We are trying as a nation, and currently, there is 90% success rate of vaccination in the country’’, Hon. Songa continued that about 17 hospitals are solarized, and 18 hospitals nationwide have oxygen. She ended by saying that the government is committed to and would continue to work in order to provide an enabling healthcare environment across the country.
Rounding up the debate, the acting leader of opposition, Hon. Daniel Brima Koroma provided insights about the Finance and Appropriation Acts in nation building. He admonished the Minister to see the opposition as part of the government that is willing to support the government in its efforts to deliver for the people of Sierra Leone. He said that when expenditures outweighed incomes, there is a problem with the economy. He admonished the Ministry of Finance to minimize frequent foreign travels by MDAs, according to him, regular travels affect the economic developments of the State. Hon. Koroma also advised the government to reduce embassies and possibly establish directorates in some countries in order to reduce too much expenditures on the government. He appealed to the Office of the President to close down certain institutions in order to reduce duplicating expenditures on government. Generally, the lawmaker asked for the government to pay more concentration on the needs and concerns of the people of Sierra Leone. He ended by encouraging dealers of drugs to discontinue as such practices are wasting the lives of many young people in the country.
Hon. Kekura Vandy, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Finance, concluded the debate on the 2026 National Budget by commending President Bio’s economic Team, particularly the Minister of Finance, for stabilizing the economy which was previously “in shambles.” Hon. Vandy highlighted key revenue streams, including taxation, mineral resources, and road users taxes, and assured the Minister of parliamentary backing to fund the budget. He praised the focus on infant industries as a central strategy for revenue generation, and noted that institutions like NASSIT and NRA, established by former President Kabbah blessed memory, as vital to fiscal generation and management. Defending President Bio, Hon. Vandy charged the opposition for criticising his diplomatic travels, and stressed the importance of presidential duties, including international engagements and its attendant benefits to the country. He cited achievements such as energy supply improvements, recruitment of 14,000 teachers, and progress in renewable energy (zero per cent target). Hon. Vandy urged the opposition to halt misinformation, and supported the introduction of bold initiatives to boost and strengthen the economy. “This budget is pro-people, pro-business, and pro-performance,” he concluded, and called for a cross-party cooperation to implement the budget effectively and efficiently.
Responding to Members of Parliament, the Minister of Finance, Sheku Ahmed Fantamadi Bangura commended the Rt. Hon. Speaker Segepoh Solomon Thomas Esq., for imposing punitive measures on Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) of Government if they are absent from the debate on the budget, and noted our international partners’ approval of such a move.
Addressing MPs, he assured Sierra Leoneans of a “responsible government delivering results,” and clarified misconceptions about budgetary data and emphasized his Team’s to due diligence. “We take the budgeting process very seriously and acknowledge progress,” he said and cited challenges with debt servicing and revenue mobilisation. The Minister justified tax measures, and explained that exchange rate fluctuations and global price shifts would affect fuel costs. He also assured MPs that the wage bill is sustainably managed and “not high.” He concluded by urging citizens to trust the budget, and described it as “pro-poor and pro-people.” “Have faith in this budget,” he said, and highlighted efforts to balance fiscal responsibilities with social priorities, he concluded his response.
