Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Finance has announced that its National Policy hearings for all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) will take place on Friday, 6th October 2023.

The event will be held at the New Brookfields Hotel, Freetown, starting at 8:30 a.m. according to a recent press release made available to Sierraloaded.

As part of the FY2024 Budget preparation process, the Ministry describes the Policy Hearing as a key starting point. “The Policy Hearing initiates the budget preparation process, enabling Ministries, Departments, Agencies (MDAs), and Local Councils to discuss and reassess sectoral policies, all of which are outlined in the Medium-Term National Development Plan,” the statement reads.

The release further specifies attendees for the policy discussions, emphasizing the focus on bilateral budget deliberations to establish guiding policies for revenue creation. The Ministry stipulates, “Attendance is limited to Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Professional Heads, and Vote Controllers. These Bilateral Budget Discussions aim to reach a consensus on policies that will steer revenue generation and resource distribution among the various MDAs.”