Senate summons agencies over economy

The Plenary of the Liberian Senate has summoned key government agencies to give full report on the status of the state’s economy as the economy here remains static and suffers a downturn.

Following intense deliberation by senators on Thursday, 30 November, the lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to summon Finance and Development Planning Minister Boima Kamara, Commerce and Industry Minister Addy Axel, Liberia Revenue Authority Commissioner General, Madam Elfrieda Stewart Tamba, and Executive Governor Milton Weeks to provide updates on the country’s economy.

The Plenary’s decision on Thursday came as a result of a communication from Grand Bassa County Senator Jonathan Kaipee who had written the Senate, seeking the intervention of the upper house of the Liberian Legislature.

The communication dated November 20, 2017 calls Senators to attention to the pending political transition expected in January 2018, noting that knowledge about the present state of the economy prior to the anticipated transition is extremely necessary.

“I therefore have the honor to request that both the Minister of Finance and Development Planning and Commissioner General of the Liberia Revenue Authority be invited to appear before Plenary and provide information on the current state of the country’s economy,” the communication says.

It requests that the information to be provided by the agencies summoned must specially include update on the second quarter of the 2017 National Budget on which the government is currently operating, and the revenue generated during the quarter under review, according to LRA’s revenue projection.

Based on the content, the Senators in Plenary included the Central Bank of Liberia Executive Governor to join the process of providing the detailed information to the public through the state. Meanwhile, officials of those government institutions are expected in the Chambers of the Senate on 5 December.

By E. J. Nathaniel Daygbor–Edited by Winston W. Parley