UNICEF, PBO Urge Parliament to Increase Funding for Children in 2027 Budget
Sia Lucy Kannah UNICEF and the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) have urged lawmakers to increase and protect funding for children in the 2027 National Budget, calling for stronger parliamentary oversight to ensure adequate resources for education, healthcare, nutrition, sanitation, social protection and child protection.
The call was made during a one-day parliamentary engagement held on Wednesday, November 4, at Country Lodge Hotel in Freetown, attended by Members of Parliament and representatives of key parliamentary committees.
PBO Director Ibrahim Jimissa urged lawmakers to use budget analysis and oversight tools to ensure public funds reach their intended beneficiaries, noting that government spending decisions shape the country’s future.
UNICEF Country Representative Mariko Kagoshima disclosed that children account for approximately 41 per cent of Sierra Leone’s population, while two in three children are deprived of at least one basic need. She also raised concern over limited child protection funding, estimated at just US$0.66 per child annually.