EGP Participates in CSO Budget Forum Review of the 2026 National Budget

The Economic Governance Platform (EGP) joined other Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) at the Annual CSO Budget Forum to review and analyze the 2026 National Budget Statement and Economic Policy. The forum, organized by the Civil Society Platform on the IMF Programme, provided a critical space for non-state actors to interrogate the government’s revenue and expenditure plans for the coming fiscal year. During the session, EGP’s research team highlighted key concerns regarding the credibility of revenue projections and the allocation of resources to social protection programmes.While acknowledging the government's commitment to fiscal consolidation under the IMF programme, CSOs raised questions about the realism of the 2026 domestic revenue targets, given the underperformance in previous years. Key takeaways from the forum included: • The need for more aggressive expenditure rationalization to complement revenue measures. • Concerns over the rising cost of debt service, which continues to crowd out discretionary spending. • A call for greater transparency in the utilization of the Annual Budget Funding Amount(ABFA) from oil revenues. • The importance of ring - fencing social spending to protect the most vulnerable from the impact of austerity measures. The forum concluded with a communiqué urging Parliament to scrutinize the budget estimates rigorously before approval.EGP remains committed to providing evidence - based analysis to support this process and ensure that the 2026 budget delivers on its promise of stability and growth.