Finance ministry to deduct 23% from Social Welfare 2015 budget
Freetown, Oct. 7 (SLENA) – The 2015-17 MTEF budget, which started at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MoFED) continued Wednesday October 2, 2014 with the Ministry of Social Welfare Gender and Children’s Affairs on the discussion table.
Having listened to the presentation made by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Social Welfare, Mr. Joseph Teckman Kanu, on the ongoing discussions, the Senior Deputy Financial Secretary of MoFED, Mrs. Maltida Williams said her ministry will deduct 23 % which is about 1.8 billion Leones from the latter’s annual budget of 2015 as presented by the Ministry of Social welfare.
She further informed them that a ceiling was given to all MDAs when they sent out the budget call circular, noting that the situation has not improved but worsen and would be discussing further with the Social Welfare ministry in order for them to know from which area they would deduct 23%.
She added that they would also look at areas of interventions that are directly related to the Ebola virus and see how they would move forward.
Mrs. Matilda Williams maintained that the 23 % will be reduced based on the fact that the country’s economy has depreciated largely due to the Ebola epidemic and admonished the Ministry of Social Welfare to focus their budget on relevant issues that contribute greatly to eradicating the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone.
Responding, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Social Welfare gender and Children’s Affairs, Joseph Kanu, disclosed that his ministry is currently engaged on issues relating to women and children’s welfare regarding the Ebola outbreak, saying the Child Protection and Gender pillar at the Emergency operation Centre focus on how children have been affected by the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone and the help that will be rendered by his ministry children nationwide.
The Permanent Secretary said they now have workers all over the country who are update the ministry about how women and children fare on nationwide, adding that they now have different programs that addressed the issue of Ebola and the number of women and children that have been affected.
The Executive Director of Democracy and Development Associate – Sierra Leon, Foday Sesay, in his statement, said the Ministry of Social Welfare has a lot to do in order to protect women and children and appealed to the Finance ministry not to deduct the 23% from the budget as presented to them.
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