The leadership and senior management of the Ministry of Finance on Thursday, 15 January 2026, commenced a three-day Strategic Management Retreat aimed at consolidating economic gains achieved in 2025 and repositioning the Ministry to effectively roll out key economic policies in 2026.
The retreat seeks to review the Ministry’s achievements and challenges during 2025, while also assessing progress under its 2024-2026 Strategic Plan.
In his opening remarks, Financial Secretary Matthew Dingie welcomed participants and stated that the retreat provides an opportunity to critically evaluate the performance of the Ministry and its departments, as well as to develop strategies for the year ahead.
He noted that although 2025 was a challenging year, the economic management team succeeded in meeting nearly all macroeconomic targets by year’s end. He commended staff of the Ministry of Finance and other institutions within the economic management team for their efforts in meeting agreed benchmarks with development partners, noting that such performance has the potential to unlock additional financial resources for the country.
Mr. Dingie emphasized that mobilizing resources to fund government programmes and projects remains the core mandate of the Ministry of Finance. He explained that this responsibility informed the retreat’s theme: “Repositioning the Ministry of Finance to Enhance Domestic Revenue Mobilization for Sustainable Economic Stability and Service Delivery.”
He further urged directors to design and implement policies and programmes in 2026 that would directly contribute to the Government’s Big Five Agenda, stressing the importance of measurable impact.
Also addressing participants, Deputy Minister of Finance I, Kadiatu Allie, described the retreat as an important period of reflection. She said discussions should focus on consolidating achievements, addressing challenges, and identifying practical ways to improve performance.
She added that the retreat should strengthen leadership commitment to accountability and transparency, while assessing progress in budget credibility and processes, debt management, revenue mobilization, financial and macroeconomic reforms, and public expenditure management. She also called for more impactful social spending in priority sectors such as education, health, agriculture, and local councils.
The three-day retreat features presentations on leadership and professionalism by Consultant Modupe Taylor-Pearce, sessions on the revised Civil Service Code and Rules, a review of the Ministry’s Strategic Plan, engagements on economic programmes with development partners, and discussions on other administrative matters.
