Falaba MP Slams 2026 Budget as “Misdirected and Pro-Debt ”

By Shadrach Aziz Kamara

A heated debate erupted in Parliament when the Opposition All People’s Congress (APC) Member of Parliament for Falaba District, Hon. Mohamed Alpha Jalloh, delivered a blistering critique of the 2026 national budget
describing it as “deceptive, misdirected, and dangerously anti-people.”

Responding to a jab from a colleague from Kenema, Hon. Jalloh said he felt compelled “to expose the dangerous economic gamble this government is playing with the lives of our people.” He argued that, contrary to the Minister of Finance’s presentation, the budget is neither pro-growth nor pro-business, but rather “a pro-interest-payment and pro-flying-President budget.”

Hon. Jalloh accused the Minister’s statement of containing multiple contradictions which he described as evidence of “economic deception.” He challenged the Minister’s claim of “significant progress in stabilizing the economy,” citing a recent World Bank assessment that classifies Sierra Leone as a country at high risk of debt distress.

He also highlighted that the nation’s import cover stands between 1.5 and 1.7 months far below the IMF’s minimum threshold of 3 months and the ECOWAS benchmark of 6 months.

This means Sierra Leone cannot survive another global shock,” the MP warned.

He noted that interest payments remain the single largest expenditure item in the national budget, even as unemployment rises and public debt has doubled to US$3.2 billion

2025 Fiscal Realities: ‘A Budget in Crisis’

Quoting figures from January to September 2025, Hon. Jalloh presented the following:

Revenue generated: 13.4 billion new Leones

Grants received: 2.8 billion new Leones

Total available: 16.2 billion new Leones

Expenditure for the same period: 21 billion new Leones

Projected expenditure by December: 30 billion new Leones

He stressed that while wages for the entire public workforce total 5.3 billion new Leones, the same amount 5.3 billion was spent solely on interest payments on domestic debt.

The wage bill for the whole government is equal to what we pay domestic banks in interest alone. How is this a pro-people budget?” he asked.

Hon. Jalloh further lamented that domestic capital investment
responsible for infrastructure such as roads, hospitals, and schools amounts to just 1 billion new Leones, far less than what is paid to local banks in interest.

He pointed out that the overall budget deficit as of September 2025 stands at 5.2 billion new Leones and is projected to hit 9 billion by year-end. He noted the government has exceeded projected deficits for four consecutive years an issue also raised by the World Bank.

The MP criticized the 50% cut in allocations to the government’s flagship Five Big Game Changers program, which has dropped from 2.2 billion to 1.1 billion new Leones, even as debt service costs continue to rise.

This government is paying banks more than it is investing in its entire five-year development agenda,” he lamented.

‘A Pro-Flying President Budget’

Hon. Jalloh also highlighted what he termed excessive spending on presidential travel:

145 million new Leones allocated to the Office of the President for 2026

140 million new Leones allocated collectively to Parliament, the Judiciary, and the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education

He added that in 2024, presidential travel expenses reached 291 million new Leones, with an additional 255 million approved in a supplementary budget.

This government prioritizes flying over governing,” he declared.

Wrapping up his submission, Hon. Jalloh insisted the 2026 budget is fundamentally flawed
prioritizing interest payments and presidential travel over development, infrastructure, and the welfare of ordinary Sierra Leoneans.

The debate continues as Parliament prepares for further scrutiny of the proposed budget.