National Assembly: MPs clap through 2026 Finance Bill.

He was assisted by the Secretary of the Bureau of the National Assembly, Hon Saya Kaïgama, and the Secretary General of the National Assembly, Essian André Noël.

The session opened with the presentation of the Finance and Budget Committee’s report by the General Rapporteur of the Committee, Hon Ndongo Eteme Edgar. 

His presentation, a summary of exchanges between Members of Parliament, MPs, and ministers who had earlier on defended their proposed budgets.

Following the report, the floor was opened for general debates. Eleven MPs took turns to question ministers on various aspects of the Bill. 

Among them were; Hon Joshua Osih, Hon Nourane Fotsing, Hon Ngo Issi Rolande, and Hon Njong Evaristus. Their concerns centered on sectoral allocations, revenue collection, domestic debt, and rising budget figures.

Ministers present responded to the MPs’ questions, led by the Minister of Finance, Louis Paul Motaze and the Minister of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Alamine Ousmane Mey. 

They provided clarifications on revenue mobilisation, debt servicing, credits allocated to ministries, and measures to improve State income through tax and customs services.

At the final stage of the session, the presiding Speaker gave an overview of all articles of the Bill before proceeding to adoption. 

Earlier, during Committee scrutiny, the Minister of Finance had defended the draft budget, explaining projected non-tax revenue of FCFA 400 billion, the rationale behind increased budgetary allocations, and measures to reinforce revenue collection. 

Lawmakers questioned the continued rise in the budget amidst persistent social challenges and asked for updates on domestic debt clearance. 

Clarifications were also provided on economic performance, with the Minister noting an estimated 3.9% growth rate for 2025 and a projected 4.3% rate in 2026.

Enter finance minister

In his remarks after the committee work, the Minister of Finance said the examination stage had enabled all ministers to outline their priorities and justify their allocations before the Finance and Budget Committee. 

He explained that the draft budget reflected increases of more than FCFA 1,000 billion compared to the previous financial year. This, Minister Motaze said, reflected commitments announced on November 6 by the Head of State concerning youth and women. 

He noted that the government had prepared the document under difficult conditions but maintained its commitment to executing national orientations. 

“We have a very interesting budget, more than 8,000 billion. This is very important,” he said. 

He stressed that the government would continue addressing economic challenges while maintaining programmes already underway.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3643 of Tuesday December 02, 2025