President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. has formally notified the 55th Legislature of a brief four-day delay in the submission of the 2026 Draft National Budget, citing the need for “due diligence” and broader stakeholder engagement before final presentation. In a communication to lawmakers, President Boakai explained that the short postponement was intended to give both national and local stakeholders additional time to contribute to the preparation process. According to the President, this will ensure that the final draft reflects a well-structured and inclusive framework for the 2026 fiscal year.
“This slight delay is to allow more voices to be heard in the budget formation process,” the Liberian leader noted, emphasizing that the Executive is committed to transparency and fiscal responsibility. The President reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to upholding the Public Financial Management (PFM) Law, which mandates that the draft national budget be submitted two months prior to the start of the new fiscal year.
While acknowledging the missed statutory deadline, Boakai assured lawmakers that the Executive remains fully committed to submitting the document for legislative scrutiny and timely passage. As part of ongoing preparations for the 2026 fiscal year, the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) recently launched a Budget Disaggregation Training in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, aimed at empowering local officials with the knowledge and tools to manage public resources more effectively.
The five-day training, which began on October 12, 2025, brought together county superintendents, education and health financial officers, and other local administrators. Acting Finance Minister Anthony G. Myers described the exercise as a “fundamental transfer of authority” to county leadership, marking a major milestone in Liberia’s long-promised decentralization agenda. “This is the beginning of the end of the realization of decentralization,” Minister Myers declared, adding that local governments must be equipped not just with responsibility, but also with the resources to fulfill their mandates.
He further disclosed that six new county treasuries will be added to the existing four in 2026, bringing the total to ten, with plans to expand to all fifteen counties in subsequent phases. This will allow local officials to directly manage financial transactions and monitor ministry spending within their jurisdictions. Myers criticized the current centralized procurement system, where even county-level expenditures are processed in Monrovia, calling it inefficient and harmful to local economies.
The new strategy, he said, will enable local businesses to compete for government contracts within their own counties stimulating job creation and growth. “What we want to see is the county administration doing procurement here, the education authorities doing procurement here,” he emphasized. Supporting the reform, Internal Affairs Minister Francis Sakila Nyumalin underscored the need to professionalize local government and move away from politically motivated appointments, while Comptroller and Accountant General J. Elwood Nettey
Author: Zac T. Sherman
