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Claim: A Facebook user alleged that the Ministry of Finance and Development recalled the 2026 draft national budget.
Verdict: False! The 2026 draft budget has not been recalled since its submission to the House of Representatives on November 7, 2023, according to Mohammed Melvin Kwenah, Assistant Director for External Communications. DUBAWA’s investigation also revealed that members of the House of Representatives have unanimously voted to refer the budget to the Committee on Ways and Means, Finance, and Budget to schedule revenue and expenditure hearings.
Full Text
On November 7, 2025, the Government of Liberia, through the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), officially submitted the Draft National Budget for Fiscal Year 2026 to the House of Representatives. The budget, valued at US $1.2 billion, outlines the government’s financial plan for the fiscal year.
Shortly after the submission, a Facebook user named Blatta Blatta alleged that the Ministry of Finance had recalled the budget due to “inconsistencies within the budget numbers.”
His post read:
“Breaking! The Ministry of Finance has recalled the 2026 draft national budget. Citing inconsistencies within the budget numbers. Incompetence at its height!”
The claim has since gone viral on social media, generating several comments, shares, and reactions.
A screenshot of the claim
DUBAWA decided to investigate the claim as part of its commitment to combating misinformation and disinformation.
Verification
First, DUBAWA contacted the claimant, Blatta Blatta, via Facebook Messenger to request evidence supporting his claim.
In his response, he stated that the ministry had taken the budget down from the site and made changes, citing “typographical errors.” He also shared a Frontpage Africa news article to authenticate his claim.
A screenshot of the claimant’s response
However, after a thorough review of the new article shared by the claimant and the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning’s website, our researcher discovered that the article was unrelated to the budget recall claim and that the draft budget had already been published.
Next, our researcher reached out to Mohammed Melvin Kwenah, Assistant Director for External Communications at the MFDP, for clarification. Responding via Facebook Messenger, Mr Kwenah stated,
“Since the budget was submitted on November 7, 2025, by the Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Hon. Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, on behalf of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., it hasn’t been recalled. As a matter of fact, both the House and the Senate had the budget communication from the president on their agendas on Tuesday, November 11.”
A screenshot of Mohammed’s response
To further verify the claim, DUBAWA reviewed the official Facebook page of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Liberia.
A post published on November 11, 2025, confirmed that the plenary had unanimously voted to refer the Draft National Budget for Fiscal Year 2026 to the Committee on Ways, Means, Finance, and Budget for detailed scrutiny and analysis:
“Members of the House of Representatives have unanimously voted to refer the Draft National Budget for Fiscal Year 2026 to the Committee on Ways, Means, and Finance for detailed scrutiny and analysis, adding that the Committee, in collaboration with the Legislative Budget Office (LBO), is expected to release a comprehensive schedule for revenue and expenditure hearings.”
Conclusion
There is no evidence that the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning recalled the 2026 draft national budget after it was submitted to the House of Representatives. Both the Ministry and the Legislature confirm that the document remains under legislative review. Therefore, the claim that the ministry recalled the draft budget is false.
