By Fatou Krubally
The Office of the President spent D28.72 million on development projects during the first quarter of 2026, exceeding its full-year development budget allocation of D20.03 million, according to the government’s latest budget performance report.
The figures are contained in the First Quarter 2026 Budget Performance Report released by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs (MoFEA), covering government expenditure between January and March.
According to the report, the Office of the President had an approved development budget of D20.03 million for 2026 but recorded an expenditure outturn of D28.72 million by the end of March.
This represents an execution rate of 143 percent and means the office had exceeded its annual allocation by approximately D8.69 million after only three months of the financial year.
The spending contrasts with the generally slower pace of development expenditure across government during the same period.
Government-wide capital expenditure stood at D738.74 million at the end of March, representing 21 percent of the approved annual capital budget of approximately D3.54 billion.
The report shows significant variations in development budget execution among government institutions.
The Ministry of Transport, Works and Infrastructure, which had one of the largest development allocations, recorded expenditure of D488.85 million against an approved allocation of approximately D1.96 billion, representing an execution rate of about 25 percent.
The Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs spent D111.73 million from its D591.19 million development allocation, while the Ministry of Agriculture recorded expenditure of D18.88 million against an approved allocation of D411.66 million.
The Ministry of Health recorded a negative development expenditure outturn of D4.72 million against an allocation of D156.67 million.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy recorded no development expenditure during the first quarter despite having an approved development allocation of D363.27 million.
The Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education spent D15.18 million from its D68.47 million development allocation, representing 22 percent execution.
The National Assembly recorded D16.33 million in development expenditure against an allocation of D80 million, while the Independent Electoral Commission recorded no development expenditure against its D80 million allocation during the period.
The figures come against a broader decline in government expenditure compared with the first quarter of 2025.
Total government expenditure and net lending stood at D7.87 billion during the first quarter, representing 22 percent of the approved 2026 budget and a three percent decline from D8.13 billion recorded during the same period last year.
Capital expenditure was among the areas contributing to the decline, falling by D409.18 million, or 36 percent, compared with the first quarter of 2025.
The first-quarter figures therefore highlight significant disparities in the pace of development budget execution across government institutions, with several major ministries recording relatively low expenditure while the Office of the President had already exceeded its full-year development allocation by the end of March.