The National Assembly’s Finance and Public Accounts Committee (FPAC) has recommended cutting D6 million from the Office of the President’s proposed 2027 budget and transferring the money to the National Council for Civic Education (NCCE) to support its programmes and staff costs.
The proposal is contained in the committee’s consolidated report on the 2027 Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure, presented to lawmakers on Monday by FPAC chairman Alagie S. Darboe.
Under the recommendation, D4 million would be removed from the Office of the President’s recurrent budget, while a further D2 million would be deducted from its development allocation.
“The Committee examined the Estimates for the Office of the President and proposed a reduction of the sum of D6,000,000 (D4,000,000 from the recurrent budget and D2,000,000 from the development budget) and redirected it to the National Council for Civic Education to support its development initiatives and personnel emoluments,” the report stated.
FPAC also proposed an additional D17 million for the NCCE, comprising D14 million for operational and development activities and D3 million for personnel expenses.
The committee said the additional funding would help the council meet key operational needs, including the purchase of a pickup truck and an official vehicle for its chairperson. It would also support the start of construction on the NCCE’s office building.
In another recommendation concerning the council’s funding, FPAC proposed reallocating D8.481 million from budget code 3111203 to code 3112118, which covers furniture and fittings. The committee noted that the latter category had not been allocated any funds in the proposed budget.
The recommendations signal a push to strengthen the NCCE’s financial capacity, particularly its ability to carry out civic education activities and meet staffing and infrastructure needs.
Elsewhere in its review, FPAC examined the National Assembly’s proposed 2027 budget, which the report said was 0.5 per cent lower than the allocation approved for 2026. The committee also identified an internal reallocation of D3.5 million within the legislature’s recurrent expenditure.
The Judiciary’s proposed budget also came under scrutiny. FPAC recommended cuts totalling D39.65 million, including D12.65 million from recurrent spending and D27 million from development expenditure.
The proposals form part of the committee’s broader examination of the government’s 2027 spending plans. They are recommendations at this stage and remain subject to consideration by the National Assembly before the budget is finalised.
