Why was the Constituency Development Fund Cancelled for 2024?

Sixth Legislature © Askanwi

By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT

The Office of the Clerk of the Gambia's National Assembly issued a notice stating that “due to lack of allocation of funds, the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) could not be implemented in the 2024 fiscal year.” The notice to National Assembly members (NAMs) dated 17th January 2024 highlighted that the “Office of the Clerk wishes to take this opportunity to thank all Hon. Members for your patience and understanding and to assure you of our continued commitment to better serve you in the delivery of your core mandate.”

When the CDF started in 2021, only 54 elected NAMs could spend up to D300,000 on development projects for their communities. This was channelled through the Office of the Clerk after receiving a project proposal from the elected member. After going through their internal approval procedure, the Office of the Clerk would handle the financial disbursements with the selected contractor, who would deliver the project.

However, in 2023 the CDF was increased to D500,000 for all members, elected and nominated, to implement projects. Our budget research shows that back in 2021, when the first CDF commenced, NAMs spent D16.026 million out of the approved D16.2 million and spent a further D14.93 million after the same amount was approved in 2022.

Since the increase to D500,000 for all 58 members, D27.765 million was spent in 2023, and now it appears none was spent in 2024. Our budget research shows that D29 million was approved to be spent each year from 2023 to 2025. In total, from 2021 to 2023, D58.721 million has been spent on the CDF by various members out of the D61.4 million allocated for these three years.

Constituency Development Fund Approved vs Actual © Askanwi

Our reporter spoke to a senior government official at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, who explained that they experience system issues that make it difficult for the disbursements to be made. He noted that this was experienced from the Office of the Accountant General, who is in charge of disbursements. However, he reassured Askanwi that this would be addressed in 2025.

Speaking to the newly appointed Clerk Mr. Kalipha MM Mbye, he explained that no reason had been advanced for the lack of disbursements. When our reporter pressed further that the proposal of Parliamentarians was requested for submission in the first quarter and if follow-ups were not done by the second and third quarters, the newly elected Clerk noted that this was before his time and further investigations would be required on his part. However, he also assured Askanwi that this would not be repeated in 2025.

The notice from the current Clerk to NAMs also highlights that proposals should be submitted by NAMs in the first quarter and should address needs of their target community. Additional proposals not sent by the end of the first quarter will not be considered for the current fiscal year. There are some more obligations of NAMs listed in the notice shown below.

Notice Letter to NAMs on the Cancellation of 2024 CDF and on 2025 CDF

Our reporter contacted some NAMs to get their reaction to the notice and got a response from the Majority Leader, Hon. Billay Tunkara of Kantora, who noted that “a budget is an estimate; it’s a forecast of revenue and expenditures. It’s not cast in stone. It all depends on the availability of funds. It’s about us prioritising and re-prioritising. It may not materialise due to inadequate funding. We could work with the government to make sure they pay next year's CDF earlier than at the tail end.” Hon. Tunkara submitted a proposal to ring-fence a women’s garden in Sare Biru.

Independent NAM, Hon. Omar Jammeh of Janjanbureh, noted that he submitted a proposal for a “Youth Project” on small ruminants to engage young people on livestock. He “found the memo to be a joke of the year and utter disrespect to electorates after having the 2024 budget estimates” approved by NAMs. He believes that the CDF for 2024 “was budgeted, and they misappropriated the funds for other priorities.”

Hon. Momodou Lamin Bah for Banjul North from the Minority Caucus revealed that his proposal was for the second phase of a six-aside football court, which he is currently implementing in Banjul North. In reaction to the notice, both he and his electorates are very disappointed with the news and are ready to conduct further investigations into why the allocation couldn’t be effected in 2024 to avoid a reoccurrence.

Deputy Majority Leader, Hon. Abdoulie Ceesay of Old Yundum, revealed that he submitted a proposal for three tricycles for three community initiative groups (youth and women) for income generation to help sustain their association focused on voluntary community service. He called the lack of disbursement a disappointment; however, he recognises that unforeseen circumstances can arise and money planned for such may be moved onto other pressing needs. He stressed that he is not claiming this is what happened, given that the Minister for Finance and Economic Affairs has not given reasons for the lack of disbursement. However, he urged members to interrogate the issues and tasked Parliament's Finance and Public Accounts Committee to get to the bottom of it.

Hon. Sulayman Saho of Central Baddibu from the Minority Caucus, who doubles as their Chief Whip, submitted a proposal to fence a women's vegetable garden. He noted his disappointment given the constant communication that was ongoing with the expectant community about the fencing project. He urged the Assembly to be clear on how public funds are expended and to assess where the problem lies for the lack of disbursement. “We cannot be suspended and request another proposal this year. This clearly tells us that nothing much is happening in the country. Transparency and accountability remain a question," he concluded.

Critics of the CDF claim that it’s not the role of NAMs to implement projects but to scrutinise the implementation of government projects. Meanwhile, proponents of the CDF highlight the impact it has in other countries by filling the gap for development in areas the government has missed.