Published: February 26, 2025
CAPITOL HILL – Gbarpolu County Senator and former Finance and Development Planning Minister Amara M. Konneh has made a shocking revelation about the 2024 national budget, stating that fiscal outturn data indicates the Senate spent a staggering US$17 million on committee hearings.
Senator Konneh disclosed this information on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, during the appearance of Finance and Development Planning Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan before the Senate Plenary.
Minister Ngafuan, accompanied by his Deputy Minister for Budget and Planning, was summoned to address concerns over the delayed publication and distribution of the 2025 National Budget.
During the session, Senator Konneh, who chairs the Senate Committee on Public Accounts and Audits (PAC), pressed Minister Ngafuan for a detailed breakdown of the reported US$17 million expenditure.
“The minister should provide a report on the US$17 million recorded in the fiscal outturn as spending on committee hearings,” Konneh stated while amending a motion for Minister Ngafuan’s subsequent reappearance before the Senate.
Responding to the revelation, Minister Ngafuan assured the Senate that a comprehensive report would be submitted next Tuesday as requested. He also vowed to implement key policy changes within the ministry to strengthen fiscal governance.
“I want to emphasize that I assumed office as Minister of Finance in late September 2024—nine months into the fiscal year,” he noted.
Ngafuan explained that upon taking over, he encountered a ministry in transition, stressing the need for a practical approach to resolving financial challenges at both the national level and within the ministry itself.
“Some of these decisions will be difficult, but they are necessary,” he asserted. “We will proceed with honesty and transparency, ensuring that the Senate has the necessary information for its oversight responsibilities.”
Addressing Senator Konneh’s inquiry about the US$17 million expenditure, Minister Ngafuan clarified that the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning does not generate fiscal outturn reports, emphasizing that such figures are projections.
“The official fiscal outturn is released in April when the Comptroller and Accountant General formally confirms and reports actual expenditures,” he explained. “In the meantime, we remain committed to providing the Senate with any oversight information required.”
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