PRESS RELEASE
BudgIT Sierra Leone Demands Clarity on €18 Million EU Budget Support Suspension, Urges Government to Safeguard Public Services
Reports indicate that the European Commission has suspended an €18 million budget-support payment to Sierra Leone amid concerns over the government’s cooperation in the extradition of Dutch fugitive Jos Leijdekkers as requested by Dutch authorities. While the Sierra Leonean government has reportedly attributed the withholding of the funds to technical reasons rather than the Leijdekkers case, BudgIT Sierra Leone believes that the circumstances surrounding the suspension demand a clear, evidence-based explanation. Until the government provides sufficient clarification, the potential connection between the suspended funding and the extradition controversy remains a matter of legitimate public concern.
BudgIT Sierra Leone is concerned that the suspension comes at a time when the country is already facing significant fiscal pressures, with revenue projections revised downward and government expenditure expected to increase under the FY2026 Supplementary Budget. The development underscores the urgent need for greater transparency, stronger domestic revenue mobilization, and a clear government strategy to protect critical public investments. Regardless of the stated reason for the suspension, the consequences for Sierra Leone’s public finances cannot be ignored. This uncertainty presents an additional challenge for a government already struggling to align its revenue with growing expenditure demands.
What does this Funding Uncertainty Mean for Public Services?
The suspended €18 million in EU budget support which is close to NLe500 million represents a significant amount of funding in a country where public institutions and essential services face considerable financing needs. While the funds were not necessarily earmarked for any single ministry or programme, the loss of anticipated budget support could place additional pressure on the government’s overall financing capacity. This fund could have been used to support budget allocations to sectors like the Ministry of Youth Affairs that was allocated Nle104.2 million, the Ministry of Public Administration that was allocated Nle23.7 million or even for Water and Sanitation that was allocated Nle482.2 million in the FY2026 Budget:
BudgIT Sierra Leone is not suggesting that the €18 million would automatically have been allocated directly to these sectors. Rather, external budget support contributes to the government’s overall fiscal capacity, and any shortfall can intensify difficult choices over expenditure priorities.
Why Should Citizens Care?
When a government receives less revenue and less external support than anticipated, it has fewer options. It may cut expenditure, borrow more, seek additional grants, increase taxes or improve the collection of existing taxes. Each option carries consequences for citizens, businesses and the broader economy.
The critical accountability question is therefore not simply whether revenue has declined. It is how the government intends to close the resulting financing gap without placing a disproportionate burden on citizens or undermining essential public services.
Additional borrowing could increase debt-service pressures. Higher taxes could place further strain on households and businesses. Spending cuts could delay infrastructure, reduce the reach of public programmes or leave already underfunded institutions struggling to deliver. Weak revenue collection, meanwhile, could deepen the country’s dependence on uncertain external financing. Citizens must therefore demand answers about the government’s fiscal response, the protection of essential services and the measures being taken to prevent a financing shortfall from translating into weaker service delivery.
Public money is ultimately about public outcomes. Every disruption to budget financing must be matched by transparency about its consequences.
BudgIT Sierra Leone’s Call to Action
In light of the reported suspension of EU budget support and the fiscal pressures reflected in the FY2026 Supplementary Budget, BudgIT Sierra Leone calls on the government to take the following actions:
- Uphold the rule of law and institutional accountability: The government should address the extradition controversy through lawful, transparent and accountable processes, while providing the public with accurate information about the actions taken by the relevant authorities. Matters involving alleged criminal conduct and international legal cooperation must be handled in accordance with applicable law and due process.
- Protect vulnerable citizens and essential services: Any adjustment to public spending should be guided by transparent priorities and a clear assessment of its impact on citizens. The government must demonstrate how it will safeguard essential services and avoid shifting the burden of fiscal uncertainty disproportionately onto low-income households and underserved communities.
- Strengthen domestic revenue mobilization and accountability: The government should intensify efforts to improve tax compliance, reduce revenue leakages, broaden the effective tax base fairly and strengthen public financial management. These measures should be accompanied by transparent reporting on revenue performance and expenditure execution.
Issued by:
BudgIT Sierra Leone