The late Augustine K. Blama
The Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) is mourning the death of its Assistant Minister for Budget, Augustine Kaifa Blama, who died yesterday at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Monrovia.
According to an MFDP announcement, Blama will be buried today, in line with his Islamic faith, in Nyandiayama, Lofa County, after prayers for the departed.
Finance Minister Boima S. Kamara, who led a senior management team to the deceased’s residence yesterday, described Blama’s death as a void left in the Ministry’s workforce, especially the Department of Budget and Development Planning, which he served with diligence and absolute loyalty.
While consoling Mrs. Blama and members of the bereaved family, Minister Kamara called on them to keep faith in the Lord, as he assured them of the Ministry’s full participation in all of the events before, during and after his burial.
Also sympathizing with the bereaved family, MFDP’s Deputy Minister for Budget and Development Planning, Tanneh G. Brunson, who served as immediate supervisor to the late Assistant Minister, indicated that he was one of her technicians who always executed his tasks and was in readiness to perform additional duties.
Meanwhile, MFDP staff described the late Minister’s sudden death as a shock, with many employees calling on the bereaved family to accept the death as the will of God.
They stated that some of the MFDP employees, who were either supervised by or directly interacted with the late Assistant Minister, indicated that he did not only serve as the nucleus of the budget section, but was always receptive and provided the needed guidance and encouragement to ensure that they acquired the requisite knowledge.
Prior to his appointment as Assistant Minister of Budget in 2014, Blama, who started working for the government in 2000, served in various positions in the securities sector, as well as the research and budgetary policy sector.
Some of the posts he held included Research Analyst; Budget Staff Analyst; Chief Senior Analyst; Controlling Principal Analyst; and Assistant Director General, Research Department at the erstwhile Bureau of the Budget, Ministry of Finance.