Thursday June 30, 2022
Mogadishu (HOL) - Somalia's parliament approved a nearly billion-dollar federal budget for 2022 in a three consecutive heated joint session in Mogadishu on Thursday.
Minister of Finance, Abdirahman Ducale Beyle, was responding to questions by lawmakers about audits and government expenditure. The lawmakers accused the ministry of not submitting audits to the parliament over the past four years. However, the minister counters that the audits were processed and submitted to the 10th parliament but were not approved.
According to the lower house speaker Sheikh Adan Mohamed Nur Madobe, 204 MPs voted in favour, two MPs abstained, and two MPs objected.
"After three days of intense debate in parliament and weeks of discussions with the joint Houses of parliaments Finance committee, the 2022 budget has been approved by lawmakers. We can now move on to implementing the budget for the benefit of the people of Somalia", the minister said.
The approved budget of $918.7 million for 2022 is the highest budget ever for Somalia since the collapse of the central government in 1991.