BAN, CSOs Condemn 44 Public Entities Over Failure to Submit FY2025 Accounts; Demand Immediate Sanctions

By Mohamed Konneh

The Budget Advocacy Network (BAN) and the Non-State Actors working on Public Financial Management have strongly condemned what they call an “alarming failure” by 44 public entities to submit their FY2025 financial statements, in blatant breach of the Public Financial Management Act 2016.

In a press statement issued Monday 4^th May 2026, the civil society coalition said the non-compliance represents a “serious breach of public trust and a direct attack on transparency and accountability” in Sierra Leone’s public finance system.

Addressing, the Media the Senior Programme Officer, at Budget Advocacy Network (BAN), Abdulrahman Morlson Sesay said, section 86(1) of the PFM Act 2016 mandates that “within three months after the accounts of a financial year are closed, the vote controller of every entity shall submit to the Auditor-General annual financial statements of the entity for the financial year.” The deadline for FY2025 was March 31, 2026.

None of the 44 entities listed met that legal requirement.

“The law is clear. Compliance with these laws is not optional—it is a legal and moral obligation,” the statement read.

The list of defaulters cuts across critical sectors. It includes agencies responsible for health, infrastructure, and regulatory oversight, such as:

– Health & Utilities: National Public Health Commission, Guma Valley Water Company, Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone

– Infrastructure: Sierra Leone Roads Authority, Sierra Leone Housing Corporation, Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority 

– Revenue & Regulation: National Minerals Agency, National Telecommunication Authority, National Public Procurement Authority

– Governance & Oversight: Office of the Ombudsman, Independent Media Commission, Parliamentary Service Commission

– Education: Ernest Bai Koroma University, Freetown Polytechnic, Sierra Leone Student Loan Scheme

The full list of 44 is attached to the CSO statement.

BAN and the Non-State Actors warned that the failure “cripples the national audit process, undermines parliamentary oversight, and creates dangerous blind spots in the management of public funds.”

“Without these statements, the Auditor-General cannot complete the 2025 audit. Parliament cannot scrutinize spending. Citizens cannot know how their money was used,” said Abu Bakarr Kamara, National Coordinator at BAN noted.

He added that the breach raises “serious concerns about possible financial mismanagement, weak internal controls, and a culture of impunity within public institutions.”

CSO DEMANDS 

The coalition issued three key demands:

1. Immediate corrective action: All 44 entities must submit outstanding FY2025 statements without further delay.

2. Strict enforcement of sanctions: The Ministry of Finance and Parliament must apply penalties under the PFM Act, including withholding allocations and surcharging vote controllers.

3. Systemic reform: Government must publish a compliance dashboard and name repeat offenders.

“The Ministry of Finance and Parliament must act decisively to restore discipline and accountability. Continued inaction will only erode public confidence and weaken service delivery,” the statement said.

BAN emphasized that “Sierra Leone cannot afford a system where public institutions operate above the law.”

Below is the list of defaulting Entities.