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The national councilors, meeting in plenary this Sunday 31 December 2023, in the hemicycle of the People’s Palace, unanimously adopted the expenditure section and the final report of the LFR 2024 financial law. exercise, members of the government, representatives of the CNRD, presidents of republican institutions, religious leaders, officials of civil society organizations, as well as the governor of the Central Bank of the Republic of Guinea.
Based on the report provided by the Committee on Planning, Financial Affairs and Budgetary Control, presented by the Honorable Fatima CAMARA, following the decrease in revenue of the 2024 Finance Law of 446.11 billion, the expenditure was revalued to 37,682 .58 billion compared to a forecast for 2023. Amendment of the Finance Law for 37,249.45 billion (+1.16%). Compared to GDP, spending is equal to 18.55%.
The increase in spending of 433.13 billion compared to 2023 is attributable to current expenses of 453.22 billion (2.10%). It is attenuated by the slight decline in investment expenditure including BAS for 20.09 billion (-0.13%). This decline is explained by the reduction in expenditure of the BAS Common Fund for Education by 241.33 billion.
For the smooth functioning of this initial finance law (LFI2024), the national consultants have made some recommendations. In light of the questions raised and the answers provided by government representatives, the findings accompanied by specific recommendations were formulated as follows:
- Limit the intervention of the ACGP only in the liquidation phase in accordance with the Manual of the Public Expenditure Procedure in connection with the LORF and Article 17 of the General Regulation on Budget Management and Public Accounting (RGGBCP).
- Establish a mechanism that allows the ACGP to have easy access to the budgets for the control and supervision missions of the projects hosted by the Project Owners; this may occur through the transmission of a reserve under the control mission of a condition precedent to the signing of the Designers’ employment contracts.
- Give the ACGP the possibility to stop or have it stopped all public works that do not have a control and supervision mission and/or do not justify technical studies validated by it.
- Establish a mechanism to reduce public procurement deadlines.
- Make the approval of the works contracts and that of the control and supervision missions of the works themselves contextual by the Minister of Economy and Finance.
- To promptly suspend this flagrant violation of article 17 of the general legislation and public accounting; the Minister of Economy and Finance will have to strictly monitor the application of this recommendation by the LFR 2024
Failure to compensate people affected by infrastructure projects within the contractual deadlines is one of the reasons for the delay in their implementation. This recurring situation concerns the CNT.
It therefore invites the Government once again to adopt all necessary measures to:
- speed up administrative and financial procedures;
- carry out a fair evaluation of compensation;
- make the entire compensation process transparent.
Examination of the LFR2023 implementation report revealed a low level of domestic debt payments. In fact, despite the liquidation to date of 800 of the 1000 billion foreseen in the LFI 2023 by the National Debt Directorate, the Treasury has managed to actually pay only 400 billion, or 50%.
Given the reimbursable nature of this expense and its usefulness for the national economy, the CNT once again calls on the government to proceed with its total liquidation.
Aware of the difficulties encountered by the populations of Conakry and some inland locations and considering the very limited capacities of the Société des Eaux de Guinée (SEG) in terms of drinking water supply, the CNT renews its recommendation to the government to support the SEG .
From the report of the consultation missions of the National Councilors in the country, the issue of incomplete infrastructure for the rotating festivals was highlighted in several places. Noting that the recommendation made to this effect in the LFR 2023 has not been taken into consideration, the Committee on Planning, Financial Affairs and Budgetary Control invites the CNT to launch a parliamentary information mission on all the projects mentioned.
The CNT attaches particular importance to the construction of prefectural roads, as indicated in its report on the debate on the 2024-2026 budget orientation, because they are essential for the socio-economic development of the country. The CNT reiterates the Government to strengthen and accelerate the construction of prefectural roads, especially in areas with high agricultural potential and in places where the issue of opening is acute.
An examination of the LFI project shows that only 5.8% of the overall budget is allocated to the health sector and 13.9% to the education sector compared to a sub-regional average of 12% and 15% respectively. Due to the challenges related to the health and education sectors, the CNT once again calls on the Government to significantly improve the allocation of these sectors in the next financial laws.
With regards to the common expenses related to the reserves established under the post-fire response plan of the Kaloum central hydrocarbon deposit, the CNT invites the Government to:
- ensure the effective and efficient management of all mobilized resources, including;
- provide a sufficient budget allocation to Civil Protection and ANGUCH;
- establish a sufficient backup supply of hydrocarbons for defense and security forces;
- consider a new development program for Kaloum that takes into account the effects of the disaster;
- accelerate the construction project of the Mandiana and Forécariah depots;
- rebuild and equip as soon as possible the national geological laboratory for analyzing the quality of our minerals;
- financially support the EDG to deal with the consequences of the fire;
- plan expenses for security and maintenance of public order not previously budgeted for.
Faced with the loss of human lives linked to this fire, the CNT draws the Government’s attention to the need to enforce the rules relating to the construction of houses along the tracks to prevent railway accidents.
Fundamental research, which embraces all sectors of activity (agro-pastoral, healthcare, mining, environmental, fishing, etc.) is the pillar of all development. No amount is earmarked for research; make a sufficient allocation to the Ministry of Higher Education in the framework of research;
The CNT notes that, despite budgets for craft village construction projects in the financial laws, these are struggling to be finalized. He therefore invites the Government to give priority to the implementation of these projects;
Given the role assigned to FODAC, the CNT invites the Government to adequately increase the allocation and to consider the creation of a fund for the Cinema sector;
The CNT notes that the subsidy dedicated to the Ministry of Health resulted in a reduction of 45,000,000,000 GNF, which could affect the functioning of its structures. Consequently, it invites the Government to increase and pay regularly on time the amount allocated to Title 4 relating to transfer costs to national, regional and prefectural hospitals and health centres.
Likewise to compensate for the concentration of healthcare personnel in Conakry to the detriment of the interior; the CNT recommends their redistribution throughout the national territory.
It appears that the resources allocated to the National Institute of Youth, Physical Education and Sports (INJEPS) and FONIJ are insufficient, despite their importance in the context of youth empowerment. To this end, the CNT recommends increasing your budgets.
In the context of the PLFI 2024 review, there seems to be slowness in the execution of FINEX projects and the need to strengthen the human and material capacities of research institutes in the agricultural sector. The CNT recommends the creation of a mechanism to strengthen the management and institutional capacities of research facilities in order to improve the delivery rate of FINEX projects on the one hand and to strengthen the sector’s research centers and laboratories on the other.
Climate change issues are a major concern. The CNT invites the Government to promote environmental education and to continue the process of recovery, protection and development of peri-urban forests. To this end it also recommends the restoration of the “FRIA” law which today constitutes a reference for various countries.
The Ministry of Defense has production units that develop activities of economic and general interest. As such, it contributes substantially to Guinea’s socioeconomic development effort. This is the case of the agricultural engineering battalion, the military engineering battalion and the military factory in the Alpha Yaya fields. The CNT encourages the Ministry of Defense to reorganize and restructure these units with a view to their financial autonomy. For example, the military engineer could strengthen himself and participate in study-consulting activities and execution of works.
The CNT became interested in the situation of the civilian personnel working in the Military Factory; It was discovered that the unit concerned does not have sufficient resources for the regular care of the said staff. Given this state of affairs, the CNT encourages the Ministry of Defense to take this into account in its budget forecasts for LFR 2024.
The securing of the communication system of the security and civil protection units constitutes a notable weakness in terms of territorial coverage, the CNT recommends the allocation of huge financial resources for the finalization of the MSPC’s VHF and HF radiocommunications project.
Many Guineans living abroad often find themselves faced, for various reasons (natural disasters, internal conflicts or xenophobic policies), with insurmountable difficulties that throw them into a situation of profound discomfort. They find themselves destitute and abandoned without assistance or recourse. The CNT invites the government to provide an allocation under Title 4 of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in terms of assistance and emergency intervention for Guineans in difficulty abroad.
Given the importance of the High Council of Guineans Abroad (HCGE) for the mobilization and involvement of Guineans abroad in the socio-economic development of the country, it is necessary to support it. To this end, the CNT pursuant to Article 10 of Decree 122 of 3 May 2021 invites the government to provide for the costs relating to the different sessions of the General Assembly of the HCGE attributable to the budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Since its creation, the CNT has not received any transaction laws transmitted by the Government in violation of Article 60 of the LORF. The CNT recommends that the government liquidates liabilities in this sector as soon as possible under these liquidation laws.
The retirement of judges in January 2024 could have a negative impact on the functioning of the Supreme Court. The CNT invites the government to consider the possibility of hiring retired magistrates and training young magistrates to ensure their succession.
To date, the amounts to be recovered following the sentences issued by the CRIEF have not been paid into the single treasury account. The CNT calls on the Government to initiate a process of creating a savings and deposit account suitable for these and other income categories.
The CNT notes the lack of decision for the separation of the administrative function from religious responsibility in the decentralized services of the department in charge of religious affairs.
For example: the first imams in some localities are regional inspectors or prefectural directors of the SGAR. The CNT recommends the separation between administrative function and religious responsibility, exercised by some imams at regional, prefectural and municipal levels.
The CNT notes a reduction in the line dedicated to the organization of Muslim pilgrimages of 29 billion and of 2.9 billion for Christian pilgrimages, which does not favor better participation and management in favor of pilgrims to the Holy Places. It is therefore recommended to review this allocation in the future PLFR 2024 or to withdraw it from the reserves for extreme emergency cases.
Given the importance of the Fund for Social Development and Deprivation (FDSI) for the health and nutritional assistance of our poor compatriots, the CNT proposes that the government increase the budget of this humanitarian organization.
Given the importance of education in our country, especially for young people, the CNT proposes that the National Civic Education Service be established as a General Directorate with sufficient financial resources to address the challenge of incivism.
To enable the HAC to ensure strict compliance with the ethics and professional conduct of the journalistic profession, the CNT calls on the Government to provide it with sufficient resources to modernize its monitoring services.
2023-12-31 20:27:50
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