By: Fatou Krubally
National Assembly committees have requested D482.36 million in additional funding for ministries and public institutions in the proposed 2027 national budget, despite identifying only D146.49 million in savings through proposed budget reductions and reallocations, according to a consolidated report presented to the Assembly on Monday.
The report, tabled by Alagie S. Darboe, Minority Leader and Chairperson of the Finance and Public Accounts Committee (FPAC), outlines the findings and recommendations of various committees following their scrutiny of the 2027 Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure.
The requests for additional funding exceed the savings identified by FPAC by about D335.88 million, leaving a substantial gap between the proposed savings and the additional allocations sought by the committees.
Presenting the report during the Third and Fourth Ordinary Sessions of the National Assembly in the 2026 Legislative Year, Darboe said the committees had examined the budgets of ministries and institutions under their respective mandates before submitting their findings to FPAC for consolidation.
The 2027 estimates were presented under the theme, “Deepening Economic Resilience While Enhancing Fiscal Sustainability.”
According to the report, government revenue and grants from local funds are projected at D40.96 billion in 2027, while revenue and grants across all funds are estimated at D56.93 billion, including D15.97 billion in project grants.
Proposed expenditure stands at D48.5 billion under local funds and D66.7 billion across all funds, excluding net lending.
The report also projects total debt service, covering interest and principal payments, to increase from D13.46 billion in 2026 to D16.17 billion in 2027, representing a 20.2 per cent rise.
Among the largest additional funding requests is D243.28 million for the Ministry of Transport, Works and Infrastructure. The education sector is also seeking substantial increases, with D99 million requested for Basic and Secondary Education, D39.35 million for Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology, and D18.35 million for the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy.
The Ministry of Health is seeking an additional D25 million to support the purchase of ambulances and personnel-related needs at Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital and Kanifing General Hospital, according to the report.
The committees also requested D15 million for the Ministry of Agriculture for the One Family, One Cow project, D13.2 million for defence-related needs, D10 million for the tourism, arts, culture, youth and sports sector, and D10 million for the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare.
Other requests include D9 million for the Ministry of Justice and D9.29 million for the Ministry of Fisheries and Water Resources.
The report further highlighted concerns over inadequate funding for school feeding, infrastructure, laboratories and maintenance, as well as the dilapidated condition of the National Library. It recommended stronger coordination between the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education to improve budget planning and resource allocation.
Darboe said the consolidated report would guide debate on the estimates and the work of the Committee of Supply in the coming days.
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