Finance Minister tables D59B 2026 draft budget today
Finance Minister Seedy S. Keita will today table the much-anticipated 2026 Draft Budget before the National Assembly, a D59.3 billion spending proposal that could define the country’s economic direction for the next year and test the government’s commitment to transparency and development.
Unlike last year’s constitutional embarrassment, when the Minister failed to table the 2025 Budget on time, the stakes are higher than ever this time around. That delay sparked a lawsuit by civil society advocates against both the Finance Minister and the National Assembly for violating the 1997 Constitution’s 60-day rule. This time, lawmakers will get the full two months to review and debate the 2026 spending plan before approval.
According to a copy of the 2026 Draft Budget, the government is seeking D59.3 billion in total expenditures up from the D54.5 billion approved for 2025. The proposal outlines plans to raise D32.2 billion in domestic revenue, compared to D29 billion this year, signaling a modest but steady increase in projected income.
The biggest chunk of the proposed budget will go to recurrent expenditure, set at D25.7 billion, an increase from D22.3 billion last year. Development spending is projected at D20.1 billion, slightly up from D19.6 billion in 2025.
In 2024, while Parliament approved D17 billion for development projects, only D2.3 billion was actually disbursed. By contrast, recurrent expenditures mostly salaries and administrative costs hit D18.2 billion, closely matching the approved figure.
The Cabinet’s 2026 proposal also expects D14.4 billion in project grants, largely from the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), which alone is contributing D8.6 billion. But given the recent track record, only D82.5 million in grants was received in 2024 despite the D9 billion approved.
Debt servicing remains a major burden, with D13.4 billion earmarked for national debt payments, taking up nearly a third of the D43.4 billion Appropriation Bill. The Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education follows with D5.9 billion, and the Ministry of Health with D3.1 billion.
As lawmakers gather in Banjul today, the presentation of the 2026 Draft Budget will not just be a fiscal exercise. It will be a moment of accountability a test of whether the government can bridge the growing gap between promises made and progress delivered.
Source: The Point
