Office of the President Among Top Overspending Institutions in 2024

President Barrow and Finance Minister Keita

By Edward Francis Dalliah

Although Parliamentarians failed to perform budget oversight, our latest publication on the government's expenditure reveals that the Office of the President has overspent by over D130 million for the first 11 months of 2024. Our previous publication highlighted how the Finance Minister, Hon. Seedy Keita, and the Sixth Legislature repeatedly failed to comply with Standing Order 94, which mandates an oral presentation on budget implementation during every ordinary session.

In the absence of the Finance Minister’s oral report, our reporter obtained the government’s latest Budget Performance Report, detailing expenditures from the Government’s Local Fund (GLF) from January to November 2024.

Overspending Institutions

Our review reveals that actual expenditures have exceeded pro-rata projections in multiple key sectors, with significant overspending in Centralised Services and the Office of the President. This unexplained surge in expenditures has raised concerns over the government’s fiscal discipline, with particular scrutiny on the Office of the President.

According to the latest Budget Performance Report, from January to November 2024, Centralised Services spent D991.7 million, despite being allocated only D607.9 million in the 2024 budget. Our calculations show that the government has already overspent by D434.5 million, representing a staggering 78% overspend.

Similarly, the Office of the President exceeded its approved allocation of D872.1 million for the entire year, spending D929.9 million with a full month still remaining. Comparing this to the pro-rata allocation from January to November, the Office of the President has already overspent by 16%, a figure that is expected to rise further by year-end. So far, the President’s Office has overspent by D130.5 million.

Percentage of BE Spent from Jan to Nov 2024 © Askanwi Media

Lack of Budget Oversight

Hon. Keita has continually failed to appear before Parliament since last year’s second and third ordinary sessions, despite being mandated by the National Assembly’s Standing Orders to appear at least once during each session. According to Standing Order 94 (1), “the Vice President or a Minister with responsibility for Finance shall, at least once during each session of the Assembly, make an oral ministerial statement to the Assembly on the implementation and monitoring of the annual budget.”

During the first Ordinary Session of the 2025 Legislative Year, Hon. Keita failed to report to Parliament twice as scheduled—on 3rd and 18th March 2025. Although Parliament rescheduled his oral presentation for 18th March, Finance Minister Keita failed to appear due to an overseas trip. As a result, Parliamentarians and Gambians remain unaware of how taxpayers’ money was spent last year.

When our reporter questioned lawmakers about his continued absence on 18th March, Hon. Amadou Camara of Nianija stated, “I think the Finance Minister has another official engagement; he is out of town as far as we are informed, which is why he could not make it.”

Responding to the same issue, Independent Member Hon. Muhamed Kanteh of Busumbala remarked, “I blame the Assembly Business Committee because if I had made proper consultations with the Ministry to ensure the Minister appears on this specific day, there should be no circumstances in which I would allow the Minister to go. That day needs to be respected. It is the day he should give us feedback on the budgetary expenditure.”

Although the Finance Minister continues to violate Parliament’s Standing Orders, the National Assembly has failed to enforce compliance. Last year, the Finance Minister failed to table the budget on time, prompting Speaker Jatta to demand only an apology. However, civil society advocates have taken both Parliament and the Finance Minister to court for his alleged unconstitutional actions.

Comparison of 2024 Jan to Nov Actual Expenditure vs 2024 Approved © Askanwi Media

Underspending Institutions

Based on the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs (MoFEA) Budget Performance Report, some ministries also overspent on GLF. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was allocated D1.79 billion for the entire 2024 budget, spent D1.77 billion in the first 11 months instead of the pro-rata allocation of D1.64 billion. This means that MoFEA has overspent by 7.7% from January to November 2024.

Debt servicing, which had the highest expenditure as of November, amounted to D7.379 billion for 2024, exceeding its allocation by 7.2%. Meanwhile, the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education overspent by 1.7% and 1.5%, respectively, during the same period.

In contrast, several ministries underspent. The largest underspending entity was the Ministry of Infrastructure, which underspent by 32.7%, followed by the Ministry of Finance (11.8%) and the Ministry of Health (8.1%). These figures suggest possible delays in project execution or cost-cutting measures.

Image depicting what is known vs unknown on Government Local Fund © Askanwi Media

Incomplete Budget Performance Report

Three months after the fiscal year ended, Parliamentarians and citizens remain in the dark about the full implementation of the 2024 budget. Additionally, the January to November 2024 Budget Performance Report only provides a partial picture of the government’s actual expenditures by including only government local funds while omitting expenditures from loans and grants. This means that additional expenditures have been incurred but remain undisclosed.

Compounding the issue, the Budget Performance Report only details the top 10 spending budget entities, leaving the expenditures of 22 ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) unknown. In total, the 2024 Approved Budget includes approximately 32 different budget entities, covering key productive sectors such as the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Tourism.

Unfortunately, given the limited data provided, our analysis only accounts for one-third of the government’s actual expenditure from its local fund. This incomplete data makes it impossible to analyse how much of the budget was allocated to development versus recurrent expenditures.

The lack of transparency surrounding The Gambia’s 2024 budget raises serious concerns about fiscal accountability. With significant overspending in key government offices, underfunding in crucial sectors, and an incomplete Budget Performance Report, both Parliament and the public remain in the dark about how public funds are managed. Until proper oversight mechanisms are enforced, the mystery surrounding government spending will continue to undermine trust in financial governance.

This lack of transparency means that what is known is far less than what remains unknown.