The Government of Liberia represented by the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning and the African Development Bank has signed two grant agreements to support the country’s agriculture and tourism sectors.

Salt Lake City (Globe Newswire) -- Overstock.com, Inc. (Nasdaq:OSTK) announced that Medici Land Governance (MLG), its blockchain subsidiary focused on land administration, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Liberia’s Ministry of Finance and Development Planning. The MOU will lead to a pro bono pilot project exploring the potential for the digitization of existing government services and the development of e-government platforms in the African country.

Monrovia, Liberia - Eid Mubarak!!! The Senior Management Team of the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning headed by Hon. Samuel D. Tweah, Jr. and the entire workforce of the Ministry wish all our Muslim brothers and sisters a Happy Eid-al-Fitr (End of Ramadan).

Hon. Augustus J. Flomo, Ministry of Finance and Develop Planning’s Deputy Minister for Economic Management, has told the ACP-EU Private Sector Forum that private sector growth is cardinal to Liberia’s domestic revenue generation.

Presented By Mr. James M. Tokpawhiea
Director Internal Programs Coordination Unit
Millennium Guest House
Oldest Congo Town
Monrovia, Liberia
May 17, 2019

The Hon. Samuel D Tweah, Minister of Finance & Development Planning, officials of government present here, our International Partners, Civil Society Actors, members of the Fourth Estate, distinguished colleagues, ladies and gentlemen.

Harbel, Margibi County - The 22nd Session of the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts (ICE) of West Africa commenced Monday May 6, 2019, in Robertsfield, Margibi County.

Monrovia, Liberia - The Ministry of Finance and Development Planning Wednesday May 1, 2019 signed an agreement known as the Legal Power Attorney, with two institutions namely; Guaranty Trust Bank Liberia Limited, and the Liberia Cement Corporation to initialize a credit-loan scheme for employees.

Monrovia, Liberia - The 22nd Session of the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts (ICE) of West Africa is expected to be held in Monrovia, Liberia from May 8-10, 2019. The ICE is a body established by the United Nations General Assembly.

Monrovia, Liberia - The Government of Liberia, through the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), on Tuesday, April 30, 2019, signed a Letter of Agreement (LoA) with United Nations Women (UN Women), to support the national Gender Responsive Planning and Budgeting Coordination Units (GRPB) initiatives in agencies of government through the National Gender Responsive Planning and Budgeting Coordination Unit, recently established at MFDP.

Kakata, Margibi - A three-day aid policies and standard operational procedures manual validation workshop climaxed Friday, April 26, 2019, in Kakata, Margibi County.

Washington D.C. - Liberia’s Finance and Development Planning Minister Samuel D. Tweah Jr., along with other officials of government has rallied for support on behalf of the Government of Liberia at the recent IMF/ WB Spring Meeting, in Washington D.C. the United States of America.

Buchanan City, Grand Bassa County - A three-day workshop for profound technical deliberations leading to the formulation of 2019-2023 Strategic Plan of the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning under the theme "Efficient and Effective Service Delivery" has kicked-off today, April 3, at the Buchanan City Hall in Buchanan City, Grand Bassa County.

The unit is require to lead on the Nation’s debt analysis and strategy formulation.

The unit shall lead in the coordination of a Debt Management Committee which shall be responsible for advising the Minister of Finance on all issue relating to debt management policy, and ensuring an efficient, effective and professional public debt management in the Country.

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The economic policy unit drives the agenda for the country’s economic transformation. There are three sections within the unit of Economic Policy, namely: Domestic Economy section, External Sector section and Coordination section.

The Domestic Economy section

Focuses on issues unfolding in the manufacturing, industry, mining and infrastructure including production trends at the macro and sector level. In addition, the section liaises with investment regulatory bodies to analyze investment climate for both foreign and domestic investors.

The External sector section

Primarily monitors and review developments in the external sector of the economy, including foreign trade, remittances and balance of payments. In addition, the sector also focuses on policies regarding foreign direct investment (FDI).

The unit is charged with the responsibility of dealing with all macroeconomic and financial sector reporting, briefing, and policy development. Macroeconomic issues include GDP estimates and forecasting, balance of payments, exchange rate, inflation management, monetary and credit trends, and, monetary policy. Financial sector issues include financial stability, financial sector development and access to finance, and other government policies that have a bearing on commercial banks, insurance companies or other aspects of the financial sector.

The unit regularly monitor trends in the areas of performing analysis and provide briefing, advice on policy matters, and liaise with the Central Bank, particularly regarding monetary and exchange rate issues, liquidity coordination, access to finance, and financial stability.

The unit also deal with capital markets including entry of foreign investors in these sectors. In consultation with the Central Bank of Liberia it will strive to put in place policies for a healthy and efficient financial sector and a transparent regulatory regime for the operating entities.

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.The Department of Economic Management is responsible for formulating and monitoring the Country's economic policies and programs. It is the principal adviser to Government of Liberia on economic policy, and drives the country’s flagship development agenda the Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development. The department also deals with all matters relating to debt management and external resource mobilization which include external debt and foreign aid, and relations with bilateral and multilateral financial institutions.

The Economic Management Department is the nodal department dealing with the Central Bank of Liberia on macroeconomic policies. The department also deals with matters concerning financial sector policies including banking, insurance and capital markets. The Department has two Divisions: Economic Policy Macroeconomic and Financial Sector Division, and External Resources and Debt Management.

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Monrovia, Liberia - The Micro Small and Medium Enterprise and Rural Finance Post Ebola Reconstruction Project have been extended from 3 to 5 years, the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning says.

Monrovia, Liberia - The Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), and the Republic of France through the Agencies France Development (AFD), Wednesday, March 27, 2019 signed a 5 million euros grant agreement towards enhancing support for youth employment in Liberia.

Monrovia, Liberia - The Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Hon. Samuel D. Tweah Jr., says Human Capital Development is a major priority under the Pro Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development. He stressed that this will be reflected in the MFDP’s new strategic plan.

Hon. Benedict Kolubah is a trained and well experienced development practitioner who understands the current trend of development in Liberia amidst the regional and global agendas (Agenda 2063 and SDGs 2030) and an appreciable knowledge of development planning in fragile states. He has experience in strategic and programmatic budgeting, program development, and funding negotiation with development partners.

Assistant Minister Kolubah has served as Pillar Specialist for the Economic Transformation Pillar of the Agenda for Transformation, the past medium term development plan of Liberia, as well as Acting Assistant Director for Plan, Development and Coordination Unit in the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning. In these roles, he enhanced coordination by strengthening inter-sectorial collaboration working with key stakeholders (MACs, Development Partners, CSO, and Private Sector), and liaised with Budget, M&E and Aid Management to ensure pillar gets the support to implement planned interventions and also with the County Development Steering Committees to collect and collate implementation report from the counties.

Hon. Kolubah started his career as the founder and Executive Director for the Lofa Educational and Agricultural foundation (LEAF), a National Non-government Organization that provided emergency agriculture Assistance to International displaced people in bong county during the civil crisis from 2001-2004. When he served as County Coordinator for Lofa Land Commission of Liberia, he coordinated the work of the county system partners and services providers as well as local authorities intervening in the land sector and served as the main point of contact for local communities and government representatives. Additionally, he has served as Senior Sector Analyst (Economic Growth Corridor Study).

In 2011, he provided consultancy for UNICEF in conducting the Liberia Micro Nutrient Survey. He has served UNFAO as individual consultant and conducted mapping exercise of the main actors in tenure governance in Liberia in the areas of land, fisheries and forests and their initiatives, roles and contributions to improving tenure governance under the principles of the Voluntary Guidelines for Responsible Governance Tenure-VGGT

Assistant Minister Kolubah holds a Master of Arts (MA) Degree in Peace and Development Studies from the Kofi Annan Institute of Conflict Transformation (KAICT), University of Liberia, and a Bachelor of Arts (honors) in Sociology, from the A. M. E. Zion University, Monrovia. He has had specialized trainings in Project Engineering by the ECOWAS Commission-Abidjan, Diplomatic Studies, Development Management, Proposals Design, Development and Project Management and M&E both nationally and internationally.

The General Administrative Services Unit is the largest unit within the Department of Budget and Development Planning. The Unit coordinates budget preparation, collation and implementation by spending entities in the various sectors under the unit. The Unit receives budget formulation guidelines from the Budget Policy and Coordination Unit and passes them on to the spending entities in the various sectors and assists them to prepare their budget estimates in conformity with the agreed resource ceilings.

After approval of the annual, contingent and supplementary budgets, the Unit upload the necessary information into the Budget Management tool for further upload into the IFMIS system for execution. The unit also do analysis of request coming from the various spending entities asking for allotments. The unit process Personnel Action Notices coming from the Civil Service Agency for employment. It also advices the spending entities on the execution of their budget in line with their work plans and spending plans.Basically, there are four sectors under the General Administrative Services Unit, they are:Public Administration Sector, Municipal Sector, Transparency & Accountability Sector, Security and the Rule of Law Sector. Some of the big spending entities under the Public Administration Sector include:The National Legislature, Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, General Services Agency, Ministry of Finance and Development Planning. Major spending entities under Transparency and Accountability Sector are: National Elections Commission, Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission, General Auditing Commission, Public Procurement and Concession Commission.Some of the major spending entities under Municipal Sector are: the Ministry of Internal Affairs; Monrovia City Corporation and Paynesville City Corporation.Under the Security & the Rule of Law Sector are the Judiciary, Ministry of Justice, and Ministry of National Defense.

Social Development & Community Services Unit The Social and Community Services Unit within the Department of Budget, Ministry of Finance and Development Planning is comprised of three sectors- Health, Education and Social Development Sectors. There are 37-line ministries and agencies within the unit with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection as lead ministries in the Health, Education and Social Development Sectors respectively. The Unit is supervised by a director and two assistant directors with a host of senior and staff analysts.

Health SectorThe primary goal of the Health Sector is to promote quality health services and reduced the incidence of preventable diseases throughout the country. The Ministry of Health is the Lead Ministry in the Health Sector with a total of 11 spending ministries and agencies. The Ministries and agencies include the Ministry of Health, John F. Kennedy Medical Hospital, Phebe Hospital, Liberia Board of Nursing and Midwifery(LBNM), Liberia Pharmacy Board(LPB), Liberia Medical and Dental Counsel (LMDC), Liberia College of Physicians and Surgeons (LCPS), Liberia Medical and Health Products Regulatory Authority (LMPHRA), National Aids Commission (NAC), Jackson F. Doe Memorial Hospital and National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL). The Health Sector which is an important component of the Social and Community Services Unit is supervised by an Assistant director with one senior budget officer and three budget officers as analysts.

Education SectorThe education sector is an essential sector in the Social and Community Service Unit and Department of Budget. The paramount goal of the sector is to ensure equal access to a high quality, free compulsory basic education and training opportunities that will lead to an improved livelihood of the citizenry. The sector consists of twenty (20) spending entities with the Ministry of Education Serving as the lead Ministry. The spending entities within the Sector are Ministry of Education, University of Liberia, Monrovia Consolidated School System, Booker Washington Institute, Cuttington University College, National Commission on Higher Education, William Tubman University, West African Examination Council, Agricultural and Industrial Training Bureau, Zorzor Rural Teacher Training Institute, Webbo Rural Teacher Training Institute, Kakata Rural Teacher Training Institute, Bassa County Community College, Bomi County Community College, Nimba Community College, Lofa Community College,Bong Community College, Grand Gedeh Community College, Harbel College, Sinoe Community College. The Education Sector within the Social and Community Services Unit is supervised by an assistant director with one senior budget officer, two budget officers as analysts and a staff assistant respectively.

Social Development SectorSector Goal: The overarching goal of the Social Development Sector within the Social and Community Service Unit, Department of Budget is to ensure the provision of basic social services to all Liberians including people with disabilities, women, children, youth, refugees and veterans. The Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) is the Lead Ministry in the sector. The Sector has a total of 6 line ministries and agencies including the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MYS), Liberia Refugee Repatriation and Resettlement Commission (LRRRC), National Commission on Disabilities (NCD), National Veterans Bureau (NVB), Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment (LACE) and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP). The Social Development Sector is supervised currently by the assistant director for Health follow by one senior budget officer and one budget officer as principal analysts.

The Economic Services Unit (ESU) whose objective is to transform the economy in order to meet the employable needs of the citizens by investing in infrastructure, agriculture, energy and the domestic private sector for economic growth encompasses four sectors namely: Agriculture, Energy & Environment, Commerce & Industry and Infrastructure & Basic Services.

The ESU works with twenty-nine (29) spending entities by ensuring the preparation, formulation, execution and monitoring and evaluation of their Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) budgets. The budgets are formulated on a multi-year basis by ensuring that spending entities’ budgets are aligned to the policy priorities of the Government within a resource constraint environment. The policy priorities are enshrined in the overarching National Vision, The Agenda for Transformation (AfT) then and now the Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD) and can be met through a sustained increase in investment over the medium-term.

The unit performs its functions in the frame of assisting spending entities develop their medium term budgets, exercise due diligence over their budgets, review their expenditure requests and issuance of allotments and participates in the basic funding analysis which dovetail into the indicative ceilings for the spending entities.

The ESU accounts for 14.8 per cent of the National Budget which translates into US$84,613,242 as its original or approved budget.

Presently, the Unit is staffed with the following personnel: a Director, two Assistant Directors, two Senior Budget Officers, three Budget Officers and two Staff Assistants who are currently performing their tasks and responsibilities in the Unit.

Coming Soon.

Monrovia, Liberia - Liberia’s Finance and Development Planning Minister, Hon. Samuel D. Tweah Jr., has acknowledged the role of the African Regional Technical Assistance Center (AFRITAC) West 2 in strengthening domestic revenue mobilization including technical support the center provided during the Ebola Crisis in Liberia.

Monrovia, Liberia - The 7th steering committee of the African Regional Technical Assistance Center (AFRITAC) in West Africa gets underway Tuesday, March 19, 2019 at the Mamba Point Hotel in Monrovia.

Monrovia, Liberia - Finance and Development Planning Minister, Hon. Samuel D. Tweah Jr., has expressed his vision and determination for what he referred to as ”the most gender-sensitive budget in Liberia’s history” beginning 2019/2020 budget year.

Monrovia, Liberia - Liberia’s Finance and Development Planning Minister, Hon. Samuel D. Tweah Jr., says he will never engage in any fraudulent activities against Liberia, denying wrongdoings in the recent mop-up exercise which was geared towards stabilizing the Liberian dollars depreciation against the United States dollars.

Abidjan, Ivory Coast. - Deputy Minister for Economic Management and Alternate Governor at the African Development Bank, Hon. Augustus J. Flomo attended Monday, February 25, the Bank’s West African Region Board Meeting in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

Monrovia, Liberia - The Government of Liberia represented by the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, and the Liberia Revenue Authority in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have brainstormed on amendments made to the revised excise law passed by the legislature.

Monrovia, Liberia - The Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning Tuesday held advanced talks with development partners and other agencies of government for the potential growth and development of the Special Economic Zones (SEZ) / Staple Crops Processing Zone (SCPZ).

Monrovia, Liberia - A Three-day workshop to enhance effectiveness of development cooperation and delivery system has ended in Monrovia.

Ganta, Nimba - Finance and Development Planning Minister, Hon. Samuel D. Tweah Jr., has expressed the need for practical approach to be taken in order to enhance growth and development in the business sector.

Monrovia, Liberia - Liberia‘s Finance and Development Planning Minister, Hon. Samuel D. Tweah, Jr., speaking at the opening of the 9th Annual ROAC-FED regional meeting when he assumed on behalf of Liberia the Presidency of the Network of National Authorizing Officers Support Unit in West Africa of the European Development Fund (ROAC-FED) has pledged to continue the great work that has already been started.

Monrovia, Liberia - The Liberian Government through the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) will this week host the 9th ROAC-FED Regional Meeting of the West Africa Regional Network of National Authorizing Offices of the European Development Fund.

Brussels, Belgium - Liberia’s Finance and Development Planning Minister Hon. Samuel D. Tweah, Jr., serving as a panelist on Wednesday, January 9 at the ECR Africa Summit held at the European Parliament in Brussels, has emphasized that an elevated private sector in Africa will serve as an engine of growth and productivity that will be able to address deficiency in the continent’s infrastructure.

Monrovia, Liberia - The Executive Director of the Liberia Macroeconomic Policy Analysis Center (LIMPAC) at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, Mr. Del-Francis Wreh was invited to serve as a keynote speaker and an implementing partner and sponsor to the Hult Prize program held at the auditorium on the campus of the University of Liberia. The Hult Prize is a platform that centers on youth empowerment and brings together students to compete globally by showcasing their innovative skills.

Monrovia, Liberia - Finance and Development Planning Minister, Hon. Samuel D. Tweah Jr., says the involvement of the private sector is keen in the socio-economic development of Liberia, under the Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development.

Monrovia, Liberia - It has been noticed that the FrontPage Africa (FPA) Newspaper is in the habit of releasing false information into the public space through its publication with the intent to bring the government of Liberia to public ridicule.

Monrovia, Liberia - The governments of Liberia and Iceland Friday, December 14, signed a US$3.1million Grant Agreement to support Liberia’s fisheries sector.

Monrovia, Liberia - The Government of Liberia and the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development had sign loan agreement in the tone of 100M United State Dollar for the construction of coastal Highway road project.

The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) was effectively established by the Abuja Declaration on 9th March 2003 as an instrument for the review of political, economic, corporate governance and socio-economic development, in any of the African Union member states that voluntarily accede to the mechanism. In 2016, the APRM Statute provisionally came to force, and under Article 2, effectively established the mechanism as a Specialized Agency within the African Union.

The APRM has the mandate to promote and facilitate self-monitoring by the Participating States, and to ensure that their policies and practices conform to the agreed political, economic, corporate governance and socio-economic values, codes and standards contained in the Declaration on Democracy, Political, Economic and Corporate Governance; and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, as well as other relevant treaties, conventions and instruments adopted by Participating States whether through the African Union or through other international platforms.

In the implementation of its mandate, the APRM has the primary purpose of fostering the adoption of policies, standards, and practices that lead to political stability, high economic growth, sustainable and inclusive development, as well as accelerated regional and continental economic integration, through sharing of experiences and reinforcement of successful and best practices.

As of January 2017, 36 countries of the African Union had acceded to the APRM. The Republic of Liberia is the 22nd of the 36 to undertake a first Country Review.

The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) is a self-monitoring instrument voluntarily acceded to by member states of the African Union, meant to help the African States create a conducive environment for development; It fosters the adoption of policies, standards, and practices that lead to political stability, high economic growth, sustainable development and accelerated sub-regional and continental economic integration through sharing of experiences and; It is also meant to reinforce successful and best practices, including identifying deficiencies in bid to address them.As Africa entered a new millennium, it was faced with different development challenges including conflicts, institutional decay, leadership and managerial deficit, gender inequality, endemic corruption, and economic mismanagement.

Monrovia, Liberia - The Government of Liberia and the European Union have signed a grant agreement in the amount of 18.9 million Euros (approximately US $21.5 million) for Lot Two of the Consolidation of Monrovia Electricity Distribution Project.

Monrovia, Liberia - The Governments of Liberia and the Federal Republic of Germany are to shortly sign a 15,000,000 million Euros grant to strengthen Liberia’s health sector.

Deputy Minister for Fiscal Affairs at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, Hon. Samora P.Z. Wolokolie, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 presented on Liberia’s Domestic Resource Mobilization Strategy for the period 2018 to 2022 at the Addis Tax Initiative Meeting in the French capital, Paris.

Monrovia, Liberia - The Government of France through the Agency for French Development (AFD) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Liberia which commits the French support to the flagship development agenda of President George M. Weah dubbed the Pro-poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development.

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A key focus of the new Ministry of Finance and Development Planning is to continue ongoing work around public sector financial management reform. The Public Financial Management (PFM) sector, like many others, suffered a severe decline during the civil crisis as transparency and accountability in the use of public resources became almost nonexistent. Most of the PFM institutions collapsed, systems failed, and human capacity deteriorated culminating in a situation in which there was a near-complete absence of procedures in the application of public resources. With assistance from our development partners, the Government enacted the PFM Act in 2009 to strengthen greater transparency and accountability around public resources.

A PFM Steering Committee (SC) is in place and responsible for strategic oversight of the reform program. It provides policy coordination and serves as the forum for resolving strategic issues impeding or attending program implementation. It is chaired by the Minister of Finance and Development Planning and includes the Minister of Justice, Minister of Internal Affairs, Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Director General of the Civil Service Agency, the Auditor General, General Auditing Commission (GAC), and Executive Director General, Public Procurement. The committee meets quarterly.

The Project Technical Committee (PTC), is the forum where all Component Managers provide status updates on the implementation of their program activities. Theme Leads are selected by the respective beneficiary departments or agencies for each of the five components of the Project. The PTC meets monthly.

At the technical and operational level, the Reforms Coordination Unit (RCU), set up in 2010 and headed by a Coordinator, is in charge of the day to day operational administration of PFM coordination.

The Government has adopted a PFM Strategy and Action Plan (2010-2014) as the framework for the re-introduction of the necessary institutions, processes, and procedures meant to enhance the PFM systems in Liberia.

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ALL YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE AND DEVELOPMENT PLANNING AND THE LIBERIA REVENUE AUTHORITY BUT DIDN’T KNOW WHO TO ASK

Background

The Government of Liberia in 2006 embarked upon an ambitious program to reform the public sector ministries, agencies and commissions to make them leaner and more focused to perform their core functions by eliminating duplications and overlaps, in line with international best practices. In furtherance of this reform agenda, the Government decided to consolidate the core public finance, economic management and development planning functions into a single agency called the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) as well as to establish the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) to ensure all functions of revenue collections and management are optimized. The new structure will ensure the devolution and transfer of transactional and sector related management activities currently undertaken by the Ministry of Finance to line ministries.

Over the last several months, the Government of Liberia high-level Steering Committee created by the President in early 2011 and supported by a team of highly experienced organizational and institutional experts from the African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET), the Governance Commission and the Law Reform Commission, as well as an independent communications firm, worked assiduously with the Governance Commission and key focus persons from the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs, wherein series of consultations were held with the public and private sector pertaining to the draft Acts of the MFDP and the LRA. This FAQ addresses key issues and queries arising out of these consultations. It also provides answers to other concerns that might not have been captured during the consultations.

1. What is the MFDP?        The Ministry of Finance and Development Planning is a completely new ministry created by an Act of the National Legislature in September 2013 to consolidate the core public finance, economic management and development planning functions of Government.

The Budget Policy and Coordination Unit is one of the four (4) units of the Budget Division within the Department of Budget and Development Planning. Its main objective is to collect and analyze data to be used in providing technical support to ministries and agencies of all sectors of government as well as coordinate activities relating to the formulation, execution and reporting of the budget, and public information purposes. 

A key task of this unit will be to strengthen the Ministry’s relationship with other spending entities.Roles and FunctionsThe ultimate responsibilities of the Budget Policy and Coordination Unit are as follow:i. Coordinate the formulation of the budget and issue guidelines to all stakeholdersii. Develop framework for the review and prioritization of expenditureiii. Set criteria for sector resource allocationiv. Oversee the alignment of the budget to the macro-economic framework for the approval of the Budget Management Committeev. Disseminate budget information to the public

StructureThe unit is headed by a Director and consists of 2 (two) sections: (1) Strategy and forecasting (2) Budget development and dissemination. These sections are headed by 2 (two) Assistant Directors, working along with a team of analysts and technicians.

o Reports (MYR, BPR including transfers, IYR, PBS, CGNB, EBS, EYR, DMR, RPR, BFP, ABC, BCC, BPN, etc.)

Lead and coordinate the national development plan, planning processes and implementation; work with sector ministries, agencies and commissions and development partners in aligning sectors and development plans to government priorities; mainstream global, continental, and regional frameworks into the national development plan; conduct research on development and sector policy issues for evidence-based planning;

Coordinate the formulation of sector and regional strategies in line with the National Growth Strategy or National Medium Term Development Plan; assist sectors and regions to develop annual and medium, programs and projects in line with available resources; assist sectors and regions in communicating resource requirements to the Budget Division for inclusion in the national budget through Sector Working Group; assist sectors and regions in the implementation of their plans, programs and projects; assist sectors and regions in obtaining the core, contingent and supplementary budget allocations in the course of the financial year; coordinate and report on sectoral implementation of the National Medium Term Development Plan; coordinate the implementation of the National and Sub-national plans by organizing the County Development Steering Committee meetings in the fifteen counties of Liberia;

Develop clear, comprehensive and robust Results Frameworks and systems for the monitoring and evaluation of all government program activities including externally funded programs and projects and ensure that they are consistent with the national development priorities; prepare national M&E documents detailing policies, implementation framework, norms, standards, guidelines and tools to support the quality enhancement of M&E in all MACs; monitor and evaluate the Government’s overall development agenda and liaise with MACs as well as donor partners to maximize adherence to development plans;

 

Coordinate the activities of NGOs operations in the Country in collaboration with all line ministries, agencies and commissions, making sure that NGOs programs are in line with Government Development Plan; conduct background checks and scrutinize the credentials and status of all NGOs seeking to register and operate in Liberia; make recommendations to the Minister of the MFDP or his/her designee legitimate NGOs for accreditation or renewal of accreditation certificates; recommend legitimate NGOs to relevant authorities for duty free waiver or be accorded any other privileges or immunities; keep a registry of all registered and accredited NGOs; monitor compliance by all registered and accredited NGOs in Liberia with relevant pertinent laws, statute, regulations and policy; coordinate government engagement with umbrella organizations to promote responsible and accountable conduct amongst NGO sector actors in the country; coordinate Government engagement with development partners to enhance capacity building and sustainability of the NGO sector; coordinate government engagement with other stakeholders to establish a reliable database and information system on the NGO sector in Liberia; work closely with the sector lead Ministry, NGO umbrella organizations and other stakeholders to prepare, and disseminate widely, periodic official reports on the status, contribution and impact of the NGO sector to national development;

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The Department of Budget and Development Planning is responsible for preparing, framing and implementing the annual budget, as well as undertaking fiscal consolidation, monitoring the budgetary position and engaging with the Legislative Budget Office (LBO) for legislative approval of the Budget.

The Department also assists with preparing development plans and providing guidance to all government agencies for preparing development programs and projects, as well as implementation and monitoring.

The Department is also responsible to advise on the allocation of resources to line ministries and agencies for the implementation of development programs and projects. It has oversight for monitoring and evaluating government’s overall development agenda and liaising with Ministries and Agencies (M&As) as well as donor partners to maximize adherence to development plans. Working with sector agencies, the Department is also responsible to appraise and approve all public investment proposals of the line ministries. In short, the Department is effectively the voice of development within government.

Tanneh Geraldine Brunson, Deputy Minister for Budget and Development Planning, Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, Republic of Liberia. She is responsible for preparing the framework and implementation of the National Budget and providing guidance and support in preparing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating development plans, programs and projects. She brings to the job, significant experience in public financial management including the budget development and management policies, coordinating with all sectors, as well as, development partners on translating government plans into reality.

Career Highlights She’s currently leading a reform that seeks to promote gender equity and inclusive participation of vulnerable groups in the national development process .The Government’s focus is to make the public financial reforms and in particular, Gender Responsive Budgeting a tool for contributing towards inclusive growth. The aim is to ensure that allocation and expenditure of public finances are done in a gender responsive manner so that budget becomes a redistributive means to address entrenched gender-specific inequalities. To that effect she has galvanized general consensus for integrating the gender responsive budgeting (GRPB) process as part of the overall public financial reforms initiative.

As Deputy Minister for Budget and Development Planning, she alone with her technical team was able to lead on the institutionalization of Decentralization at the county level. This framework is a mechanism to ensure budgetary and financial management processes are implemented in the local government structure. As the result of these engagements, county service centers are now setup in all fifteen counties.

Later, as Coordinator of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) Secretariat, she coordinated the establishment and management of a new MTFE budget process and redirected resources to ensure that the budget serves as a key policy tool to implement Government’s economic and development priorities.She gained valuable experience working in the public sector (human services) for fifteen years in several management positions, including Department of Health and Human Resources for the Montgomery County Government and the Government of the State of Maryland, USA. There, she evaluated Federal, State and Local Governments subsidy program operations to assess integrity and quality, formulated policies, interpreted regulations and procedures for implementation.

Since her return to Liberia in 2009, she has played a key role in the government’s public financial management reform initiatives. She was assigned at the Ministry of Finance, where she provided guidance on the development and implementation processes of the annual budget; directed and managed analysis of budget information to respond to internal and external queries and provided critical information to senior decision-makers, consistent with government’s priorities and financial resources.

This Unit, in collaboration with the Budget Division, executes the Public Expenditure Tracking functions as stipulated in the PFM Act (2009). In this regard, it is responsible for reviews and analysis of expenditure trends to provide advice on formulation of appropriate expenditure policies promulgated by the Financial Regulation Unit. It routinely reviews expenditure trends in different sectors of the GoL, as well as, performs ad-hoc reviews when necessary. This Unit is also responsible for the monitoring of subsidy-receiving entities, ensuring the physical audits of all government procurements conform to the threshold set in the financial rules or regulations.

Key Activities:• Review expenditure trends in different sectors of government and prepare a quarterly expenditure trend report.• Carry out ad-hoc expenditure reviews (ex. Donor financing)• Review the accountability of funds disbursed by central government to the counties (including social and county development funds) and prepares a semi-annual report on such disbursements.• Regularly review government’s subsidies to subsidy-receiving institutions and make recommendations for policy changes if the need exists;• Carry out annual Public Expenditure Tracking Survey (PETS) in concerned sector of government as a means of understanding resource flow and service delivery.

Project Executted So Far:• Completed Public Expenditure Tracking survey (PETS) in the Security & Agriculture sectors, across six counties in the country: Grand Cape Mount, Nimba County, Montserrado, Bong County, Lofa and Grand Gedeh respectively. This report is published and available on the MFDP website• Completed Public Expenditure Tracking Survey (PETS) in the Commerce and Industry Sector across six counties in the country: Grand Cape Mount, Nimba, Bong, Margibi, Sinoe and Grand Bassa respectively, with Montserrado being a base for reference. The report is pending review by validation from stakeholders, after which, its finding will be submitted to the Finance Minister and subsequently publish; • Completed the draft Public Expenditure Review (PER) from 2015 – 2018 and Inputs are being made by the consultant after which it could be distributed internally or published.

 

The Procurement Unit endeavors to support the operations of the MFDP through the provision of goods works and services as required by various user departments. The Unit strives to maximize on the benefits derived, value and the efficiency of public spending, and helps the MFDP designs and executes spending plans. Also, the Unit is responsible for the overall management of all procurement related activities as approved by the Public Procurement & Concession Commission Act of 2010, as well as the preparation of MFDP’s Procurement Plan, procurement reports and procurement execution. The unit is headed by a Director and assistant Director along with host of technicians who help to drive the activities of the unit. Below are some key reports produced by the PU:a. Annual Procurement Planb. Annual Procurement execution Report c. Annual procurement Report

 

 

The Information Communication Technology Unit manages and oversees the operation of the MFDP’s ICT infrastructure and services, consistent with the strategic and operational objectives of the Ministry. It ensures the implementation of the MFDP’s IT Policy and manages the activities of the Information Technology Division, including specialized information technology development and maintenance of the Ministry’s technology-based information system. The unit is headed by a Director and supported by an assistant Director. Some of the key report produced by the unit include the followings:

a. IT Policyb. Status of IT Security Infrastructure c. ICT security & Network Policy

The Human Resource Unit is responsible for human resource management, organization development, strategic and operation planning, as well as maintaining and sustaining positive work culture in the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning. Also, other functions of the Unit include but not limited to performing recruitment and selection, jobs and positions classification, equal employment opportunity, performance management, as well as staff development, employee welfare, payroll compensation and benefits amongst others. The Unit is headed by a Director and assisted by two (2) Assistant Directors; one for HR Services and the other for Training. Some of the keys report produced by the unit include the followings:

a. Performance Management Reviewb. Annual Leave Schedule c. Employees Attendance Reportd. Employees Benefit Report

The Communication Unit is an information and communication management hub of the MFDP. Such management process, among others, includes the production of press releases, website content management, outreach coordination and protocol management. It is also technically responsible to lead the development and implementation of the ministry’s communications strategy, as well as media policies, procedures and system. The Unit is headed by a Director who is assisted by an Assistant Director and host of other professionals in running its affairs. Below are some key reports produced by the Unit:a. 2017/2018 MFDP Media Strategy Paperb. 2017/2018 Documentary on Development Projects c. 2016/2017 Bulletin of Press Stakeouts

The Administration Unit is a blend of three (3) core sub-units (Security Unit, Storeroom, & Transport Unit), with the collective responsibility to ensure the security and safety of persons and assets of the MFDP; to facilitate a healthy and conducive working environment; to provide clerical and technical logistical services; and to convey critical personnel and logistics. The Unit is headed by a Director and supported by three (3) Assistant Directors along with technicians to augment the functions of the Unit. Below are some key reports produced by the Unit:a. Inventories report b. Asset management report

The Internal Program Coordination Unit (IPCU) is responsible to coordinate, monitor, evaluate and report on all internal programs, projects and activities of the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning. Also, as a “think-tank” it helps in the design and drafting of training proposals as well as formulation of policies instruments. The Unit is headed by a Director and supported by an Assistant Director along with an array of technicians in executing the office daily tasks. Below are some key documents produced by the Unit:a. 2015 & 2016 Annual Reportsb. 2017 MFDP National Transitional Turnover Note

The Budget & Finance Unit is responsible to facilitate the effective and efficient allocation and utilization of financial resources in accordance with fiscally sound principles that supports the MFDP Strategic Planning and decision making processes. Additionally, the Unit prepare the MFDP’s budget and report on the ministry financial operations. The Unit is headed by a Director and aided by an Assistant Director with cohort of technicians in running its day-to-day affairs. Below are key reports prepared and produced by the BFU:a. MFDP Budgetb. MFDP Budget Execution c. MFDP Financial Operationsd. Financial Statementse. Budget Performance Reports (BPR)f. Financial Management Report (FMR)g. Account Execution Reporth. Budgetary Transactions Status Reporti. Travel Retirement Schedulesj. Commitment Control Schedulesk. Spending Plansl. Bank Reconciliation Statementsm. Special Projects Financial Reports

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To develop and evaluate tax policies and legislation in the area of indirect taxes in collaboration with the Liberia Revenue Authority. This includes customs duties, excise taxes, General Sales Tax and preparation for the introduction a VAT, as required by ECOWAS. To ensure the indirect tax harmonization within ECOWAS member states.

The unit is headed by a director (Hassan Karneh) and ably assisted by an assistant director, and core of senior analyst and analysts.

The Non Taxation Revenue Policy Unit is responsible for the development and evaluation of tax policies and legislation, in consultation with fees collecting Ministries and Agencies and the Liberia Revenue Authority, in the area of non-tax revenues relating to government ministries & agencies fees, including those specified under Chapter 21 of the Revenue Code of Liberia.

The unit is headed by a director (Oliver K. Clarke) and ably assisted by an assistant director, and core of senior analyst and analysts.

To develop and evaluate tax policies and legislation in the area of indirect taxes in collaboration with the Liberia Revenue Authority. This includes customs duties, excise taxes, General Sales Tax and preparation for the introduction a VAT, as required by ECOWAS. To ensure the indirect tax harmonization within ECOWAS member states.

The unit is headed by a director (Hassan Karneh) and ably assisted by an assistant director, and core of senior analyst and analysts.

The DTU is responsible for development, monitoring and evaluation of tax policies and legislation in the area of direct taxes, including personal and business income taxation and property tax, in consultation with Liberia Revenue Authority. The Direct Tax Unit also develops natural resource tax policies, including negotiations of mining, petroleum and other concession agreements. The DTU supports the Revenue Forecasting and Modelling Unit with the forecasting and performance monitoring of direct tax receipts as well as supports the Assistant Minister on tax harmonization emanating from International Tax Institutions on issues relating to direct taxation.The unit is headed by a director (Prince Nelson) and ably assisted by two assistant directors, and core of senior analyst and analysts.

The function of the Modeling and Forecasting Unit within the revenue and tax policy division includes the following:To develop and maintain data bases and models for revenue forecasting, analysis and evaluation of tax policiesResponsible for collating receipts of direct, indirect and non-tax revenues in consultations with other Divisions and Sections and passing them on to the Budget Division.

To bring together in one place the quantitative work and analysis of the division and would work closely with the other three Sections and the Macro and Fiscal Sector Policy Section of the Department of Economic Management. The unit is headed by a director (Alphonso B. Teah) and ably assisted by an assistant director, and core of senior analyst and analysts.

Inspectorate Unit (IU): is responsible for reviewing the financial transactions of spending entities, determine cash balances, and ensures that disbursements made to spending entities are correctly utilized. The unit also assesses and evaluates the impact of funds disbursed as subsidies to both private and public institutions.

 

The Cash Management Unit {CMU} is headed by a Director who is assisted by an Assistant Directors. The major function of the unit is to conduct Cash Management for the prudent management of available cash. To achieve the above,

the Unit along with others relevant units hold periodic LIQUIDITY meeting to review GoL present cash position to inform Sr. Mgt. in making rational decisions

Physical Audit Unit (PAU): is responsible for conducting physical verification of payments relating to works performed by GoL before such payments are made. The unit prepares periodic reports on field visits assessment and provides a report for senior management.

The unit has three sections:

(1) Compliance Audit (Goods and Services Audit) and

(2) Road Fund Audit.

Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS): manages the system on which GOL transactions are carried out. As GoL automates it's budget formulation, execution, and reporting responsibilities, several line ministries and agencies have been placed on IFMIS.

The unit provides technical support to online ministries and agencies and maintains a help desk to provide a solution to technical issues when they arise.

Treasury Services Unit (TSU): receives payments from the ASU and effectuate those payments on behalf of the GoL.The unit prints and disburses all checks for services rendered or goods supplied GoL through ministries and agencies. The unit also monitors, manages, and approves extra payment on the IFMIS System and prepares releases for all GoL payments.

The unit has five sections:

(1) Financial Management Unit,

(2) USD Check Printing,

(3) EDP/ LRD Check Printing,

Financial Reporting and Bank Reconciliation (FRRU): oversees the maintenance of the Consolidated Funds and other associated accounts and funds. The Unit is also responsible for bank reconciliation and produces the monthly and quarterly management reports in addition to the end of year statutory reports.

The unit has three sections:

(1) Financial Reporting,

(2) Reconciliation, and

(3) Archives.

Accounting Services Unit (ASU): Is responsible for the processing of all payment related transactions from line ministries and agencies and ensures compliance with applicable financial regulations. The unit also ensures that payment applications do not exceed budget authorization for ministries and agencies. The unit has there sections: (1) Receiving Line, (2) Budget Execution, and (3) Compliance.

Work Experience (Current & Past)Tanneh Geraldine Brunson, Deputy Minister for Budget and Development Planning, Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, Republic of Liberia. She is responsible for preparing the framework and implementation of the National Budget and providing guidance and support in preparing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating development plans, programs and projects. She brings to the job, significant experience in public financial management including the budget development and management policies, coordinating with all sectors, as well as, development partners on translating government plans into reality.

Career Highlights She’s currently leading a reform that seeks to promote gender equity and inclusive participation of vulnerable groups in the national development process .The Government’s focus is to make the public financial reforms and in particular, Gender Responsive Budgeting a tool for contributing towards inclusive growth. The aim is to ensure that allocation and expenditure of public finances are done in a gender responsive manner so that budget becomes a redistributive means to address entrenched gender-specific inequalities. To that effect she has galvanized general consensus for integrating the gender responsive budgeting (GRPB) process as part of the overall public financial reforms initiative.

As Deputy Minister for Budget and Development Planning, she alone with her technical team was able to lead on the institutionalization of Decentralization at the county level. This framework is a mechanism to ensure budgetary and financial management processes are implemented in the local government structure. As the result of these engagements, county service centers are now setup in all fifteen counties.

Later, as Coordinator of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) Secretariat, she coordinated the establishment and management of a new MTFE budget process and redirected resources to ensure that the budget serves as a key policy tool to implement Government’s economic and development priorities.

She gained valuable experience working in the public sector (human services) for fifteen years in several management positions, including Department of Health and Human Resources for the Montgomery County Government and the Government of the State of Maryland, USA. There, she evaluated Federal, State and Local Governments subsidy program operations to assess integrity and quality, formulated policies, interpreted regulations and procedures for implementation.

The Assistant Minister for Development Planning heads five units in the Division of Development Planning: Plan Development and Coordination Unit (PDCU), Monitoring & Evaluation Unit (M&E), Regional & Sectoral Planning Unit (RSPU), Public Investment Unit (PIU), and the NGO Coordination Unit.

The division is responsible for, developing, coordinating, and monitoring development plans, underpinned by sound evidence-based research. It provides guidance to all sectors and counties for formulating development programs and projects necessary for the implementation of the development plans to steer the country’s economy in the desired direction. The division is thus responsible for the formulation of a development and growth strategy, which will culminate in medium/long term national development plans. As the principal adviser to GoL on development planning and implementation, the division is the chief driver and coordinator of the National Development Plan. Additionally, the division coordinates all NGOs, United Nation systems, development partners’ strategic planning and programming activities in the country to ensure alignment with national priorities.

Lead and coordinate the national development plan, planning processes and implementation; work with sector ministries, agencies and commissions and development partners in aligning sectors and development plans to government priorities; mainstream global, continental, and regional frameworks into the national development plan; conduct research on development and sector policy issues for evidence-based planning;

Coordinate the formulation of sector and regional strategies in line with the National Growth Strategy or National Medium Term Development Plan; assist sectors and regions to develop annual and medium, programs and projects in line with available resources; assist sectors and regions in communicating resource requirements to the Budget Division for inclusion in the national budget through Sector Working Group; assist sectors and regions in the implementation of their plans, programs and projects; assist sectors and regions in obtaining the core, contingent and supplementary budget allocations in the course of the financial year; coordinate and report on sectoral implementation of the National Medium Term Development Plan; coordinate the implementation of the National and Sub-national plans by organizing the County Development Steering Committee meetings in the fifteen counties of Liberia;

Prepare and disseminate methodologies, instructions, templates, and other public investment management (PIM) tools for the use by ministries, agencies and commissions (MACs); build the capacity of MACs in project development/initiation, project management, project implementation and monitoring; review all project proposals and appraisals presented by MACs; coordinate the appraisal and approval of public investment proposals while ensuring value for money and alignment to national development priorities; consolidate all capital investment initiatives undertaken by the government of Liberia irrespective of their source of funding. These include Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) that will be channeled through the MTEF process; develop and maintain a comprehensive national project database –both GoL and donor funded projects –that will become the source for the Public Investment Program (PIP), MTEF and the budget; assist State Own Enterprises (SOEs) with Coordination and tracking of their development plans.

Develop clear, comprehensive and robust Results Frameworks and systems for the monitoring and evaluation of all government program activities including externally funded programs and projects and ensure that they are consistent with the national development priorities; prepare national M&E documents detailing policies, implementation framework, norms, standards, guidelines and tools to support the quality enhancement of M&E in all MACs; monitor and evaluate the Government’s overall development agenda and liaise with MACs as well as donor partners to maximize adherence to development plans;

Coordinate the activities of NGOs operations in the Country in collaboration with all line ministries, agencies and commissions, making sure that NGOs programs are in line with Government Development Plan; conduct background checks and scrutinize the credentials and status of all NGOs seeking to register and operate in Liberia; make recommendations to the Minister of the MFDP or his/her designee legitimate NGOs for accreditation or renewal of accreditation certificates; recommend legitimate NGOs to relevant authorities for duty free waiver or be accorded any other privileges or immunities; keep a registry of all registered and accredited NGOs; monitor compliance by all registered and accredited NGOs in Liberia with relevant pertinent laws, statute, regulations and policy; coordinate government engagement with umbrella organizations to promote responsible and accountable conduct amongst NGO sector actors in the country; coordinate Government engagement with development partners to enhance capacity building and sustainability of the NGO sector; coordinate government engagement with other stakeholders to establish a reliable database and information system on the NGO sector in Liberia; work closely with the sector lead Ministry, NGO umbrella organizations and other stakeholders to prepare, and disseminate widely, periodic official reports on the status, contribution and impact of the NGO sector to national development;

The Revenue and Tax Policy Division (RTPD) was created by an Act of National legislature in 2013 as a result of the Reform that detached the then Revenue Department from the Ministry of Finance, thus creating the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) and the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) and dissolved the Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs. The RTPD, charged with the responsibilities of formulating tax policy and forecasting revenue, is headed by an assistant minister and comprises of four units (The Revenue Forecast and Modeling, Non Tax, Direct Tax and Indirect Tax Units), each headed by a director. The overall goals of the RTPD are twofold:

1. To formulate and design effective revenue and tax policies as well as keeping track and measuring the impacts on domestic revenue mobilization2. To forecast revenue that feeds into the national budget, monitor and analyze the outturn and report same. The revenue and tax policy division is charged with the statutory responsibilities to:

1. Provide daily revenue estimates to support the effective execution of the national budget2. Develop and coordinate tax policies and procedures for personal and business income tax3. Develop, coordinate, and evaluate tax policies with concentration in customs, GST / VAT, and Excise Tax4. Coordinate the harmonization of indirect taxes within ECOWAS Region5. Develop administrative policies on fees and non-tax related revenue

Non-Tax Unit The Non Taxation Revenue Policy Unit is responsible for the development and evaluation of tax policies and legislation, in consultation with fees collecting Ministries and Agencies and the Liberia Revenue Authority, in the area of non-tax revenues relating to government ministries & agencies fees, including those specified under Chapter 21 of the Revenue Code of Liberia.

The unit is headed by a director (Oliver K. Clarke) and ably assisted by an assistant director, and core of senior analyst and analysts.

The Fiscal Decentralization Unit (FDU) which is part of the structure of the Ministry of Finance & Development Planning, since 2014, is supervised by the Deputy Minister of Fiscal Affairs. The UNIT was part of the Ministry of Finance & Development Planning new structures during the course of the establishment of the Ministry in 2013 by the Legislative enactment. The UNIT which is headed by a Director, is responsible to support the Intergovernmental Fiscal Framework aimed at providing a comprehensive framework for the long-term development of intergovernmental fiscal arrangements, including the assignment of expenditure responsibilities, revenue responsibilities, intergovernmental transfers, coordinating the county development funds and the social development funds, the county treasury framework and working with institutions responsible for decentralization and those institutional arrangements that entails participatory governance.

i. Structure, Staffing and LocationThe structure of the UNIT is unique and well organized to meet the demand of public financial governance. The Unit staffs include a Director, an Assistant Director two senior Financial Analyst, two Financial Analysts (Vacant) one Senior Treasury Officer (Vacant), one Administrative Assistant (Vacant) and one Staff Assistant. Currently, the Unit is under staff with only three staffs: Director, Asst. Director and Staff Assistant. The Vacancies have not been filled by management.

II. Major Achievements and ImpactsThe Fiscal Decentralization Unit has made the following major achievements and impacts during the period under review:

i. County Treasury Framework: Spending EntitiesThe Fiscal Decentralization Unit (FDU) has made a significant impact by working with senior management to ensure the next phase of the county treasury framework is put into perspective. The Unit is working with other stakeholders to ensure this impact is felt in the counties. The second phase of the county treasury framework entails spending entities that will do public financial business in the counties:

 

Transparency: Simply making information available is not sufficient to achieve transparency. At the MFDP, we act visibly, predictably and understandably to promote participation and accountability.

Accountability: We ensure that ALL individuals within the MFDP are answerable for all of their actions, and that there is redress when duties and commitment are not met.Integrity: A strict adherence to moral and ethical principles is encouraged, with ABSOLUTELY ZERO TOLERANCE FOR CORRUPTION!!!

Service orientation: Ensuring timely, courteous and customer-focused consistent delivery of services, the MFDP remains in icon of service delivery.

Effective Communication: The Ministry ensures an efficient and effective communication process where messages are delivered promptly in a well-articulated manner to the intended audiences.

Innovation: Harnessing new ideas, tools and technologies, the MFDP brings innovation and value to service delivery.

The Department of Administration is responsible to manage and coordinate the implementation of internal and external administrative policies and activities, while upholding high standards for customer service delivery and efficiency to achieve organizational goals.

The Department of Administration is headed by a Deputy Minister and assisted by an Assistant Minister. The Department is divided into seven (7) Units that help in carrying out the following functions describe below:  

Provision of legal guidance and advice to the MinistryCollection, analysis, recording and reporting on relevant financial data necessary for the Ministry’s internal policy decisionsProvision of standardize bookkeeping and accounting services for the MinistryDevelopment of the Ministry’s budgetManagement of payments of salaries and wages, pensions and coordinate other employee benefits.Setting up of policies for the management of all Ministry’s procurement activitiesResponsible for the attraction, selection, training, assessment, and rewarding of employees.Ensuring adherence to organizational culture and compliance with employment and labor rules and regulations.Setting up policies for talent management, succession planning, and labor relations.Managing and maintaining inventory of the Ministry’s assetsManaging the cleanliness, security and transportation services in the Ministry.Management, maintenance and servicing of the IT infrastructure and services of the Ministry.Coordination of both internal and external communications of the MinistryManagement of the Ministry’s strategic plan (including the PSIP) and implementationProvision of excellent customer service to both internal and external customersMaintaining clear, complete, and updated, employee records.

The Department is charged with the responsibilities for formulating and monitoring the country's economic policies and programs, which have a bearing on internal and external aspects of economic management. It is the principal adviser to GOL on economic policy, and drives the Government’s development agenda - the Pro Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development. The department deals with all matters relating to debt management including external debt and foreign aid, as well as maintains relations with bilateral and multilateral financial institutions. It is also the nodal department for dealing with the Central Bank and the macro policies. The department deals with matters concerning financial sector policies including banking, insurance and capital markets. In addition, the Department works closely with external organizations, including the IMF, in developing macroeconomic forecasts for the Liberian economy.

Structure The Department has two divisions, namely External Resources and Debt Management Division and Economic Policy, Macroeconomic and Financial Sector Policy Division. Each division, headed by an Assistant Minister, comprises two units, namely, Aid Management and Coordination Unit and Debt Management Unit, all of the former division, and the Economic Policy Unit and Macroeconomic and Financial Sector Policy Unit, all of the latter division.

This Department is responsible for all fiscal matters relating to Expenditure and Revenue as well as Tax Policy. With the establishment of a semi-autonomous Revenue Authority, the Department of Fiscal Affairs deals with revenue and tax policy issues, including framing of tax laws and regulations, role of taxation and tax exemptions in the broader economic and development policy framework, and issues relating to non-tax revenue.

In addition to revenue and tax issues, Fiscal Affairs further deals with public expenditure issues ranging from framing of financial rules and regulations to matters pertaining to government accounting. The Department has oversight of the Controller and Accountant General Office, the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS), policies on government subsidies, pay, allowances, pension policies and monitoring of public expenditure.

The Department of Fiscal Affairs comprises the four divisions/units:

1. Assistant Minister for Expenditure (AME)2. Revenue and Tax Policy3. Comptroller & Accountant General 4. Fiscal Decentralization Unit

Expenditure Division The Expenditure Division, headed by an Assistant Minister, manages the financial resources of Liberia. The Division is responsible to develop and administer the financial rules and regulations of the Republic; oversee and execute all matters relating to government accounting, including pay, pensions and other allowances, as well as develop fiscal policy. In addition, the Expenditure Division also implements expenditure proposals of Ministries and Agencies of Government as appropriated in the Budget, and performs other functions as may be assigned by the Minister as well as imposed by law.

The MFDP is headed by a Minister, appointed by the President, with the consent of the Senate. As administrative head of the MFDP, the Minister provides broad strategic and policy direction for the running of the institution. The Minister is further charged with formulating, institutionalizing and administering economic, development planning, fiscal and tax policies.

 The office of the Minister also oversees a number of core administrative units including Legal and Internal Audit. In addition, the office also has oversight over some specialized units including the Public Finance Management Reform Unit, the EU Authorizing Office and the ECOWAS National Unit.

The Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, or MFDP for short, was created in 2013 by an Act of the National Legislature, in line with international financial management best practices. The new MFDP effectively replaces the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs, with the mandate to formulate, institutionalize and administer economic development, fiscal and tax policies for the promotion of sound and efficient management of financial resources of the government.

As custodian of the country’s economy, the MFDP combines public finance, development planning and economic management expertise and experience to effectively manage the economy.