By Tabora Bojang
The 2023 budget includes a proposal to spend D10 million on the meet-the-people tour of President Adama Barrow, representing an increase of D4 million from last year’s approved budget of D6 million for the tour.
The overall estimated budget for the Office of the President is D662,421,063 and according to the breakdown of the estimates, D10 million is proposed to be expended for next year’s presidential tour.
The constitution mandated the president to conduct at least one countrywide tour to familiarise himself with current conditions and the effects of government policies on the lives of the people.
However, in 2021, the government proposed D10, 000 000 for the president’s tour but lawmakers in the 5th legislature slashed it to D6 million, citing the dire straits of the economy as well as mounting budget deficits.
This is the first budget session of the 6th legislature and Gambians are waiting to see if it would emulate its predecessor by calling for a vote to reduce the D10 million estimates of the president’s meet-the-people tour in order to cater for other critical areas of development.
