By: Mohamed L. Bah
Sierra Leone is among only six West African countries that have met the minimum
requirements of fiscal transparency for 2019 as listed by the US State Department.
Senegal, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Cote D’Ivoire and Cape Verde are the others.
The annual global report describes the minimum requirements of fiscal
transparency developed, updated, and strengthened by the Department in
consultation with other relevant federal agencies.
It also includes “an assessment of the transparency of processes for awarding
government contracts and licenses for natural resource extraction.”
The minimum requirements of fiscal transparency include having key budget
documents that are publicly available, substantially complete, and generally
The review includes an assessment of the transparency of processes for awarding
government contracts and licenses for natural resource extraction. Fiscal
transparency is a critical element of effective public financial management, helps
build market confidence, and underpins economic sustainability.
Fiscal transparency fosters greater government accountability by providing a
window into government budgets for citizens, helping citizens hold their leadership
accountable, and facilitating better-informed public debate.
Annual reviews of the fiscal transparency of governments that receive
U.S. assistance help ensure U.S. taxpayer funds are used appropriately and provide
opportunities to dialogue with governments on the importance of fiscal
The fiscal transparency determinations may change from year to year due to
updating and strengthening minimum requirements of fiscal transparency as
required by law, changes in governments’ performance on public financial
management, or new information coming to the Department’s attention.
As a result, some governments may fall short of these requirements, despite in
some cases maintaining or even improving their overall level of fiscal
transparency. The report includes a description of how governments fell short of
the minimum requirements.
It outlines any significant progress being made to disclose publicly national budget
documentation, contracts, and licenses. It also provides specific recommendations
of short- and long-term steps governments should take to improve fiscal
Finally, the report outlines the process the Department followed in completing the
assessments and describes how U.S. foreign assistance resources have been used to
support fiscal transparency.