Hon. Alhagie Mbow has indicated that the Finance and Public Accounts Committee (FPAC) of the National Assembly, in scrutinizing the Gambia’s budget estimate of revenue and expenditure for the fiscal year 2022, considers reducing the budget deficit of D2.2 billion.
The National Assembly Member (NAM) for Upper Saloum Constituency, who is the Vice Chairperson of the FPAC made the disclosure as he laid before the lawmakers the Committee’s consolidated report regarding the findings on the budgets of the entities within its remit.
“In scrutinizing the various budget agencies, FPAC considered reducing the budget deficit of D2.2 billion. Thus, the allocations for Ministries, Agencies and Departments dubbed MDAs, were either maintained as presented in the estimates or reduced, and re-allocated as and when necessary”, the honourable member stated.
Hon. Mbow further informed that FPAC alone deducted a total of D77,950 thousand from the budget of the judiciary, National Audit Office (NAO), Ministries of Justice, and Fisheries and Water Resources.
According to him, a total of D5 million was also deducted from the budget of the President’s Office and reallocated to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) under Social Safety Net Project as the government’s contribution.
On National Assembly matters, he reported that a total of D19 million was reduced from vehicles and distributed by adding D10 million to the revolving loan scheme, and D9 million to allowances.
However, Mbow noted that the budget for the country’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) was adopted as submitted. He said D20 million was deducted from the National Audit Office.
“There was no reduction on the budget of the Defense Ministry. However, the committee recommends the augmentation of the operations budget of the Gambia Armed Forces (GAF)”, the lawmakers heard.
He also said the Standing Committee on Human Rights had recommended that a total sum of D1,400,000 million be reallocated…for the purchase of a vehicle for one of its commissioners and the Directorate of Legal and Investigative Unit.
The Upper Saloum NAM stated also that, the Agriculture Committee “recommends the allocation of an extra D25 million for the five sub-vented institutions under the Ministry, whereas the Monitoring committee approves the submission of the Ministry of Transport, as per the estimates”.
