By: Thaimu Bai Sesay
Commenting on the 2025 Fiscal Year Budget recently unveiled by the Ministry of Finance, Andrew Lavali, the Executive Director of the Institute for Governance Reforms, a leading civil society organisation, has passionately commended the government of Sierra Leone for the 2025 FY Budget, which he described as “more realistic and reflective.”
CSO Andrew Lavali made this affirmative statement at the weekly government press briefing held on Tuesday, 19th November 2024, at the Miata Conference Hall building. As the Parliamentary debate on the budget commences today in the well of Parliament, Lavali also used the opportunity to send a strong message to the Members of Parliament and the citizens to consider the budget as the work plan and bible of the government, adding that it should not be politicised.
Central to the IGR Executive Director’s commendation message is the double expansion of the country’s GDP in the FY2025 Budget. He commended the government for debasing Sierra Leone’s GDP from $4 billion to $8 billion in the 2025 budget, increasing the per capita income from $492 to $857. Lavali assured that this would attract bigger investors to the country.
Speaking at the press briefing, the IGR Executive Director described the 2025 budget as more realistic and reflective of the country’s economic growth, particularly in the service sector. As he assured that the FY2025 budget is more than the previous budget, he revealed that most of the things that had not been captured over the years have all been included in the 2025 Fiscal Year Budget.
Andrew further commended the government for not introducing new taxes or increasing the old ones. He underscored that the budget best aligns with the government’s Big Five Game Changer agenda.
IGR Lavali, however, spoke on the debt situation, which he said is not stable as 60 percent of the country’s revenue goes to debts. He continued that he did not see much on climate change financing and admonished that it should not be entirely left in the hands of the private sector, considering its significance.
As Parliament prepares to commence the debate on the budget today, CSO Andrew Lavali of IGR urged It to address issues such as debt sustainability, EDSA management, and the wage bill carefully.