The Gambia Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Mr. Mambury Njie, has singled out the three top spending ministries under the current government of Adama Barrow, in the year 2021, during his oral statement on the ‘monitoring and implementation’ of the annual budget, on Thursday, 3rd February 2022, before the lawmakers.
“The top three spending ministries, during the period under review, are Ministries of Basic and Secondary Education (D2.83 billion), Works and Transport (D2.76 billion), and Health (D1.69 billion),” he disclosed to members of nation’s legislative oversight body.
In terms of absorption rates, the NAMs also heard that “about 40 percent of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs)” had absorbed more than 100 percent of their initial approved budgets for 2021.
As Njie pointed out, the concerned MDAs included IEC (124 percent), mainly on voter registration and election activities, which were made through the Supplementary Appropriation.
“Transport [Ministry] absorbed more than 40 percent, and Information [Ministry] absorbed 39 percent,” he stated.
Explained: “Expenditure on roads and bridges amounted to D2.19 billion which represents a 133 percent absorption rate in comparison to the initial approved budget of D1.6 billion.
“Meanwhile, absorption on food and food services was 111 percent for the period, mainly due to the expansion of the school feeding program under MoBSE and feeding of security forces.”
“The Ministry of Finance intends to work with all sectors to implement prudent fiscal policies in line with our national development objectives. We will also continue to collaborate with all our partners in government to ensure more resources are made available to critical sectors, including health, education and the security sector”, the
MoFEA chief told NAMs. He added that the total Government Local Fund (GLF) expenditure as at end December 2021 was D20.83 billion. The said total expenditure indicates a 6 percent increment in expenditure, in comparison to the end of 2020, the Assembly heard.
According to Minister Njie, other recurrent expenditure at the moment stands at D4.96 billion.
“Other recurrent expenditure decreased from D5.74 billion in 2020 to D4.96 billion in 2021. This represents a decrease of 14 percent in other recurrent expenditures with only 85 percent of its approved budget spent over the period,” Njie explained.
He also indicated that Personnel Emolument (PE) has increased by 12 percent over the period, rising from D4.07 billion in 2020 to D4.56 billion in 2021, whilst debt services also increased by 8 percent year on year to D4.53 billion (from D4.21 billion in December 2020). Capital development registered the highest increase by expenditure class (72 percent) increase from D2.22 billion in 2020 to D3.83 billion in 2021, mainly (as a) result of commitments on roads and bridges, he told the National Assembly Members (NAM) at the Legislative House in Banjul.
