By Momodou Jarju
The Minister for Public Service, Administrative Reform, Policy Coordination & Delivery, has informed National Assembly members that the derailment in effecting payment of allowances promised by the Gambia Government to public servants was due to unbudgeted funds for the payment in the 2024 draft budget.
Hon. Baboucarr Bouy was responding to a question raised by member for Foni Bintang Karanai, Hon. Bakary Badjie on Wednesday. The young lawmaker asked the minister to explain why the payment of allowances promised by the government was not made in January.
“Our expectation as a Ministry was that, upon approval of the proposal to increase the said allowances by Cabinet, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs was going to adjust the Personal Emolument Vote of the Civil Service accordingly to cater for these increments before submission of the 2024 draft budget to the National Assembly.
“However, we later learned that this was not done. Thus, to overcome the potential budgetary shortfall created by this realisation, the Ministry of Finance has recently engaged the Ministry of Public Service to identify possible savings on the 2024 PE vote in a bid to effecting payment of these allowance increments,” the minister said.
The public officer further explained that the Cabinet at its Emergency Session on the 2024 Draft Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure on 15 November 2023 discussed and approved the proposal by his-led ministry to increase transport and residential allowances of public servants.
“The said proposal was to increase residential allowances from 1,700 to 3,000 and transport allowance from 1,500 to 2,500. We have done some analysis which we have shared with them and are awaiting their response,” he said.
When Hon. Badjie asked the minister whether he is hopeful that the aforesaid allowances will be paid this year, he responded in the positive.
“I cannot tell you the month but I am hopeful,” the minister said, while reiterating that based on their analysis, it is possible to make the necessary savings to be able to effect the allowance payments.
