By Festus Poquie
Liberia’s Finance Minister Samuel Tweah discharged from a hospital in Turkey has returned to the West African country to resume duties.
The minister had surgeries at the Florence Nightingale Hospital in Istanbul, Turkey after he and his wife suffered multiple fractures in their right arms in a road accident in northeaster Lofa County, officials said.   
Tweah made the medical travel eight days before the presentation of the 2023 national budget to the legislature on Dec. 5. This would be President Weah’s final budget before the October vote, which he’s seeking reelection.
Weah’s administration is expected to use the projected $777.94 million budget to bolster the economy through increased public spending.
Recurrent expenditure is forecast at $623.95 million, including $91.57M for debt servicing, while the total cost of public sector investment projects is estimated at USD153.99 Million, Deputy Finance Minister for Budget and Development Planning Tanneh Bruson said.
“As we gear up for the general and presidential elections in 2023, our focus is on enabling the democratic space by facilitating a smooth election process, thereby serving as agent of change for boosting investors’ confidence and reassuring the citizen’s and development partners of government commitment and determination to maintain macroeconomic steadiness’’
The $3.2 billion economy expanded by over 6.0 percent in the third quarter of 2022, while annual GDP for the year is expected to rise above the initially projected 3.7 percent from the 5.0 percent recorded in 2021.
