The Fifth Session of the Fifth Parliament of the Second Republic of Sierra Leone, through the report of the Appropriations Sub Committee No 1, has revealed that the Ministry of Finance has received $993,572 and $1,204,260, respectively, under the Public Financial Management and Improvement Consolidation Project and Public Fiduciary Management Unit as donor funding for 2017 and 2018.
These donor allocations add up to budgetary allocations of Le71 and Le75 Bn for 2017 and 2018, respectively.
The report further states that the Ministry of Finance has told the Parliamentary Sub-Committee that the funds were utilized mainly on coordinating the implementation of PFM reforms and coordination, administration and operational costs for fiduciary management and donor funded projects.
Major budget drivers of the 2017 and 2018 Ministry of Finance budgetary allocations, the report went on, were international contributions and obligations, internet connectivity, office and general capital transfers to agencies of government.
Many Sierra Leoneans are worried over such huge donor support over the years to the Finance Ministry with its canopy of offices. The most popular complain across Ministries, Departments and Agencies has been the untimely release or at most times the non realistic nature of most budgets developed by the ministry.
Donor budgetary support has, over the years, been centered around the improvement the capacity of the Ministry, but much is left to be desired in terms of their output over the years, to efficiently deliver sound macroeconomic policies that will cushion the appalling economic burden on the ordinary Sierra Leoneans.