People's Guide to the Budget

The budget is the single most important bill any government passes, but it’s also the most complex and least understood. Liberia’s People’s Guide to the Budget explains complex revenue, tax, and expenditure simply.

The budget in essence is actually a very simple idea: it explains where revenue comes from and the amount collected; and it describes where the money will go to and how it will be spent.

For decades, widespread corruption and tribalism across Africa have eroded trust in government. In response, previously paternalistic governments are now taking steps to increase accountability and transparency.

While these kind of explainers are becoming more common in developed countries, they are still unusual in Africa. The People’s Guide was developed with support from the International Budget Partnership and the Overseas Development Institute.

Liberia’s People’s Guide to the Budget shows clearly where money comes from and how it is spent. Crucially, it also breaks that information down to individual counties, so that citizens can see how extractive industries like mining generates money for the county, and what projects that money is spent on locally.

It was touted as a great success by the Liberian treasury, and was even displayed on a billboard in the middle of Monrovia. The illustrations were created by Okudi Deogratius.