By Saidu Jalloh, D.S
FREETOWN — The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development (MoPED) has presented its Le40.7 billion proposed budget for the 2027 fiscal year to the Ministry of Finance.
The budget, amounting to Le40,734,628,000, was presented alongside the Ministry’s 2027-2029 Strategic Plan and Public Investment Programme (PIP) on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, at the Miatta Civic Centre in Freetown.
The session was chaired by Deputy Director of Budget at the Ministry of Finance, Dr. Ilara E. Mahdi, and brought together senior officials of MoPED, representatives of government programmes, District Budget Oversight Committees, civil society organisations, non-state actors, the media and members of the public.
Delivering the strategic overview, Acting Development Secretary Usman Cherry Conteh outlined the Ministry’s mandate, performance in 2026 and priorities for 2027-2029. He said MoPED remains responsible for coordinating national development planning and policy implementation to promote inclusive and sustainable growth.
Conteh highlighted key achievements in 2026, including the establishment of six Sector Working Groups, implementation of capacity-building programmes for public officials, strengthened coordination of development activities across all 16 districts, progress in Chiefdom Development Planning, management of project-affected communities and Sierra Leone’s Peacebuilding Fund re-eligibility process.
Presenting the financial details, Deputy Director of NGO Affairs, Dr. David A.K. Abu, said the budget is aligned with the Ministry’s strategic priorities and interventions under the PIP.
He disclosed that the 2027-2029 PIP prioritises the establishment of a Project Preparation Facility, strengthening district-level development coordination, advancing decentralisation and public awareness of the National Development Plan, continued development of PIMIS, creation of an Induced Resettlement Secretariat and digitalisation of service-level agreements.
Other priorities for 2027 include implementing C-PIMA reforms, integrating the Wan Fambul National Framework into the Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP), developing sector guidelines aligned with national and global goals, preparing 10 investment-ready national projects, operationalising PIMIS across MDAs and local councils, convening high-level development partnership meetings and strengthening development assistance coordination.
The presentation was approved following a motion moved by Samuel Jeremiah and seconded by Yeabu Kargbo of Port Loko District.
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