By Augustine Octavius, augustineoctavius@gmail.com
A fiscal transparency project to increase citizens’ participation in the budget process in the country has been officially launched in Monrovia.
The project was launched recently by the Integrity Watch Liberia, with funding from the US-based National Endowment for Democracy (NED).
Speaking at the launching ceremony, Deputy Finance Minister, Tanneh Brunson assured the civil society community of citizens’ participation in the budget processing in the 2023 proposed national budget.
Minister Brunson said the Liberian government through the Ministry of finance and Development Planning welcomed citizens’ participation budget process, transparency and openness so as to meet the desire of CSOs and international partners.
She said as a part of demonstrating sincerity of this assurance, it has also invited the CSOs and international partners to follow the budget processing in the country.
According to her, Civil Society Organizations have played pivotal role in these initiatives aimed at exhibiting transparency in the budget processing in Liberia.
“As efforts for greater openness in public budget processes come from above in terms global best practices,” she explained, “ most notably pressures for us are from the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other development partners.”
“It is also a well-known fact that greater openness in public budget processes advocacy comes also from below, with the increasing number of Civil Society Budget Groups who too, are passionate for the involvement of citizens in the budget processes.”
The deputy minister added that civil society’s interest in publicizing and analyzing government budgets aligns with fiscal transparency norms that are linked to broader developments in economic policies.
That would emphasize fiscal discipline and a renewed focus on reforms that promote good governance.
“The international development community’s interest is in improving transparency and accountability in the budget process also stems from concerns about aid effectiveness – or more generally, about the ineffectiveness of government spending.”
“Globally,” she went on, “there are concerns that governments’ expenditures usually do not produce the necessary desired effect for example in health, education, agriculture, and gender outcomes.”
“These are key government priorities for which this project’s objective is to increase citizens’ awareness and advocacy.”
For his part, the Executive Director of Integrity Watch Liberia, Herold Aidoo stressed the need for budget processing to involve the participation of the citizens.
Harold Aidoo
According to him, citizens’ participation will help create transparency, seek priority and identify the needs of the people and basic social services that will help improve their lives.
The project, code named: “ Citizens’ Participation In The Budget Process,” valued for 130,000 United States Dollars and will be implemented for two years.
The launching ceremony was graced by Gender , Children and Social protection Minister, Williametta Piso Saydee-Tarr, Moses Kowo, Executive Director of the Liberia Anti Corruption Commission representatives of the Financial Intelligence Unit, Civil Society Organizations among others