Hon. Lamin Ceesay was speaking during a debate on the Finance and Public Accounts Committee’s (FPAC) Consolidated Report on the Consideration of the 2024 Estimates of the Revenue and Expenditures on Wednesday 29 November 2023.
“When you look at the budget from 2013 to 2023, it is no way building an economy for us, by looking at the statistics; the total budget as per 2024 projection from GLFS, grants and loan constitute 40.5 of our development budget. Our country is committing only 13.83% of this quota.”
The legislator for Jeshwang Constituency, Hon Sheriff Sarr, said by looking at the tax of this country, “we expect them to collect more than this when things are done in the right way.”
Deputy majority leader, and Member for Old Yundum, Hon. Abdoulie Ceesay, said a lot has been done, given the fact that they were trying to slash the budget deficit from D4.4 billion. “We want to commend FPAC for the sum that has been subtracted from the budget (D 485,050,993). It has at least reduced our overall budget deficit.”
Hon. Ceesay pointed out that D122 million budget estimates for the Ministry of Youth and Sports is far below expectations. “We are expecting at least D200 million. The youth need encouragement; they can disengage and not embark on the dangerous journey to Europe,” he noted.
The FPAC Consolidated Report on the Committees Consideration of the 2024 Estimates of the Revenue and Expenditures reduced a total of D485, 050,993 from the 2024 budget to “avoid sterile spending.”
The Committee suggested that these amounts should be saved from the following institutions:
Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs: D83,554, 000; Centralized Services: D220,000,000; National Assembly of The Gambia: D15,000,000; Judiciary: 74,300,000; National Audit Office: D36,583,000; Independent Electoral Commission: D48,582,500; Ombudsman; D1,470, 000; Ministry of Foreign Affairs International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad: D4,092, 000; and Ministry of Trade Regional Integration and Employment: D69,493 – totaling D485, 050, 993.
The Committee outlined that this is aimed at minimising the budget deficit of D4.4 billion, (about 2.5% of the GDP.
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