The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr Uzziel Ndagijimana, will present the proposed national budget for the fiscal year 2023/2024 before parliament this afternoon, his office confirmed. The presentation is expected to incorporate the inputs raised by parliamentarians during the recent budget hearings. While minor adjustments may be made in funding allocations for different sectors or projects compared to the initial spending, the overall budget estimates are expected to remain unchanged. ALSO READ: Budget: Rwf220bn needed to address urgent financing gaps The government plans to allocate slightly over Rwf5 trillion in the fiscal year 2023/2024 to address national priorities. This represents a 6 percent increase, equivalent to Rwf265 billion, compared to the revised budget of Rwf4.7 trillion announced in 2022/23. However, concerns have been raised by parliamentarians regarding funding gaps in various socio-economic and governance projects. ALSO READ: Rwanda plans to spend over Rwf5 trillion in 2023/24 In total, 71 gaps require Rwf226.4 billion, accounting for 4.5 percent of the proposed national budget for 2023/2024, to ensure effective implementation in the upcoming fiscal year, which begins on July 1, according to Parliament. Out of these 71 gaps, lawmakers emphasize that 52 gaps, totaling over Rwf173 billion, should be addressed in the first half of the next fiscal year. These gaps include agricultural projects aimed at accelerating food security and ongoing projects to prevent any disruptions. ALSO READ: Rwanda plans to spend over Rwf5 trillion in 2023/24 Funding Gaps Data from Parliament shows that in the National Child Development Agency (NCDA), there was a funding deficit of almost Rwf6 billion concerning the procurement and distribution of Fortified Blended Food (Shisha Kibondo) for adequate dietary supplementation for maternal and child nutrition. This is intended to tackle malnutrition among pregnant and breastfeeding mothers from vulnerable families, as well as curb stunting among their children. Under the Rwanda Housing Authority, while Rwf9.6 billion was required for the construction of Huye Stadium (Phase2), it was suffering a financing gap of Rwf7.1 billion. During the budget hearing on May 11, the Minister of Sports, Aurore Mimosa Munyangaju, said that the funding was needed to increase the stadium seat capacity from the current 7,800 to 10,000 in order to meet FIFA standards and be eligible to host international games. In the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI), the National Strategic Grain Reserve – meant to deal with food shortage due to circumstances such as disasters – had a funding shortfall of Rwf7.9 billion. In the Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB), Crop Intensification Project (CIP), seed subsidies lacked Rwf14.7 billion. Also, the Livestock Intensification Program (LIP) faced a gap of Rwf9.8 billion. On May 9, the Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Ildephone Musafiri, told Members of Parliament that the Livestock Intensification Programme would be negatively affected by inadequate funding for vaccination if nothing was done to address the issue. The project was allocated only Rwf3.9 billion, while Rwf12.1 billion was needed. With limited financing, he said, only 31 per cent of the targeted livestock animals would be immunised, leaving the majority (69 per cent) at risk of diseases or epidemics that could negatively impact livestock output, including cattle milk production. ALSO READ: Agriculture budget shrinks, raising concerns over food security In the Ministry of Emergency Management, there was a lack of Rwf463 million for purchasing relief and recovery items) to equip strategic stores in order to offer timely support to disaster-affected residents.
