Somaliland: Council of Ministers Approves 2014 Budget

Hargeisa, Sep 27, 2013 (SDN) -Somaliland’s Council of Ministers has approved the expanded budget for the year 2014 on Thursday during their weekly Council of Ministers’ meeting. The Minister of Finance Abdiaziz Mohamed Samale, presented the draft budget on Thursday in council’s weekly meeting chaired by President Ahmed Silanyo.

The process for the 2014 budget will be finalized by the end of this year when it goes to Parliament for debate and subsequent approval or rejection.

The approved budget is the heftiest budget in the country’s history. Finance minister said that all Ministers in the Council of Ministers play a role in the preparation of the budget and it is not the Minister of Finance that has sole responsibility. He said the Ministry of Finance basically plays a facilitating role.

According to sources the cabinet of ministers approved a budget worth $212m which is the largest in the history of Somaliland thus facilitating the finance ministry to present it to the House of Representatives, the country’s lower chamber of parliament for either approval or rejection as per the constitution.

The central government is said to contribute $152m while the local governments will chirp in with $60m of the 2014 budget which shall for the first time enable security services pay as per rankings.

The 2013 annual budget worth $185,714,033 received accelerated and unanimous house approval in a sitting chaired by the speaker Hon Abdirahman Mohamed Abdilahi ‘Irro’ without effecting any changes this time last year.

Meanwhile, the council of ministers has announced that cabinet members donated $2000 each for the construction of Erigavo-Buroa road.

SDN Hargeisa