Minister of Finance, Dennis K. Vandi.
The Ministry of Finance has commenced engagements with authorities as part of an effort to reconstitute the District Oversight Committees in de-amalgamated chiefdoms in the eastern region of the country and ensure prudent fiscal discipline among local authorities.
Speaking during a meeting with the newly reconstituted District Oversight Committees, traditional leaders in the Kailahun District, the Principal Deputy Financial Secretary, Mathew Dingie said the 2004 Government Budgeting and Accountability Act makes provision for District Oversight Committees to play a pivotal role in not only participating in the budget process but also complementing the delivery services of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
Mr Dingie said the Ministry of Finance deems it fit to reconstitute the District Oversight Committees since 2016 as a constitutional mandate provided for in the Public Financial Management Act of 2016.
For his part, the Director of the Budget Bureau, Chief Tassima Jah emphasized the Governmentโs commitment to ensuring there is prudent fiscal discipline in all spheres of the Governance spectrum.
He implored the newly reconstituted committee members to work within the Government Budget and Accountability Act, and the Public Financial Management Act of 2016. He said these are the guides in the execution of their mandate
Worthy of note is that the committee members of the various de-amalgamated chiefdoms of Jawei, Mongeh, Njaluahun, and Jah in the Kailahun District, Malegohun, Lower Bambara, Langrama, and Dodo in the Kenema District, and Gbane in Kono District expressed delight and described the occasions as gratifying.
The committees highlighted major constraints facing the effective implementation of their mandate including lack of logistics, capacity training, delay in the non-payment of stipends, and the unavailability of identity cards to facilitate their work.
Mr Jah assured the newly reconstituted committees that action will be taken by the Ministry of Finance to salvage their constraints.
Meanwhile, similar activities on the reconstitution of the District Oversight Committees are ongoing in Pujehun, Bo, Moyamba, and Bonthe Districts from 22 to 28 July 2022
