MONROVIA – In preparation for the Draft National Budget for Fiscal Year 2026, the Legislative Budget Office (LBO) has officially cited all Financial Comptrollers of Spending Entities across Liberia’s eleven budget sectors to a one-day strategic working session on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. The session, scheduled to take place at the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ministerial Complex in Congo Town at 10:00 a.m., is part of a broader effort to ensure transparency, coordination, and accountability in the upcoming national budget hearings.
The directive, issued under the authority of the Joint Committee on Ways, Means, Finance, and Budget, underscores the Legislature’s commitment to strengthening the pre-budget scrutiny process. It mandates the participation of all comptrollers to review previous fiscal periods and assess institutional readiness for the upcoming year.
The session will center on compliance reviews of past budget periods, evaluating whether Spending Entities adhered to approved budget ceilings and properly executed financial reporting frameworks. Officials will also identify compliance gaps and propose corrective measures to improve institutional performance, the LBO said.
Revenue evaluation will form a key part of the discussion. The session will examine domestic revenue mobilization and performance trends, as well as external financing such as grants, loans, and donor support. Off-budget revenue streams and their potential implications will also be considered to ensure a comprehensive fiscal review.
Strategic outlooks for each sector will be another focus area, with emphasis on alignment with national development priorities. Comptrollers are expected to demonstrate institutional preparedness, including digital capacity, and propose reforms aimed at strengthening fiscal governance and accountability for FY 2026.
Each Financial Comptroller is required to prepare a concise presentation of no more than ten slides summarizing the key highlights of FY 2024–FY 2025 budget execution, revenue performance and projections, as well as challenges and priority reforms for the upcoming fiscal year. This structured approach is intended to facilitate a detailed and efficient pre-budget evaluation.
The LBO stressed that the session is not merely procedural but a critical component of the national budget process. By engaging spending entities at this early stage, the Legislature hopes to ensure that all proposals are aligned with fiscal realities and national development objectives.
Officials said the pre-budget session will also serve as a platform to enhance dialogue between the LBO, Spending Entities, and the Legislature, fostering mutual understanding and collaboration on fiscal matters. The aim is to create a smoother transition into the formal budget hearings, which involve parliamentary review and debate.
The legislative authorities have emphasized that full cooperation from all Spending Entities is vital to achieving an orderly and effective budget process. Non-compliance or failure to adequately prepare for the session could result in delays in budget review and approval, which could have wider implications for national fiscal planning.
Entities requiring additional guidance or clarification have been advised to contact the Legislative Budget Office directly. The session represents an important step toward ensuring that Liberia’s FY 2026 budget is prepared with rigor, transparency, and accountability, reflecting both financial prudence and alignment with national development priorities.
