By Sulaiman Jalloh
Budget Advocacy Network (BAN) recently launched the Sierra Leone Open Budget Survey Report 2023 at the Atlantic Lumley Hotel, West of Freetown, where it was revealed that the country is ranked top in budget transparency.
Sierra Leone, according to the report, rose 10 points above the global average (45%), in 2021 to 55% in 2023. This progress also means that Sierra Leone climbed 17 points from 64th in 2021, to 47th in 2023, out of 125 countries.
Speaking during the launch, the programme coordinator of BAN, Abubakar Kamara, disclosed that Sierra Leone tops Liberia with 52%, Ghana – 46%, Gambia -36%, São Tomé e Príncipe -32%, Nigeria-31%, and Equatorial Guinea -4%. He furthered that the Citizens’ Budget which is the enacted budget is in accordance with the 2016 Public Financial Management Act and its 2018 regulations that boosted the country’s scores in the survey but noted the country is 5% below the pass mark (60%).
Mr Kamara further disclosed that in order to ensure adequate budget information disclosure, government must publish the Pre-Budget Statement online at least one month before submitting the Executive’s Budget Proposal to Parliament and the Mid-Year Review three months after the end of the six months. He also informed that citizens’ participation in the budget process fell to 20% in 2023 from 31% in 2021. He furthered that the International Budget Partnership has revealed that 70% more citizens participated in the budget formulation in 2021 than in 2023 which is thirty-three percent (33%), saying although seventeen percent (17%) of citizens participated in the budget execution stage 33% selected issues for the Audit Service Sierra Leone to audit. Sierra Leone’s audit oversight score climbed to 78% in 2023 from 72% in 2021, while legislative oversight fell by 3 points from (33%) in 2021 to (30%) in 2023.
“Accountability systems are still weak globally, but several countries like South Africa, Mexico, and the like are showing that where there is political will, progress is possible,” said Anjali Garg, head of the Open Budget Survey. “Open budget practices are a winning proposition—they build public trust that governments can deliver and can lead to lower borrowing costs at a time when global debt and inequality are at an all-time high. BAN is hoping that more countries will boldly open up their budget processes to public consultation and scrutiny, ensuring scarce resources reach those who need them most.
Partners that participated during the launching, include but not limited to, UNICEF, Audit Service Sierra Leone, Parliament, Ministry of Finance and Budget Advocacy Network and they expressed similar sentiments to support public finance until it gets better for all including children and women and to improve the collaborations with civil society organisations and the need for effective communications.
The Open Budget is the world’s only comparative, independent, and regular assessment of transparency, oversight, and public participation in public budgets. In 2023, 125 countries were surveyed.
Copyright –Published in print in Expo Times Newspaper on Friday, June 3rd , 2024 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
