Accra, Ghana – Member of Parliament for Ofoase Ayirebi, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has criticized the government’s implementation of the 2026 Budget, alleging that it failed to execute GH¢30 billion worth of planned projects and programmes in the first half of the year.
Contributing to the debate on the 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review in Parliament, Hon. Oppong Nkrumah referred to Appendix 2A of the budget document, arguing that the government’s own figures show significant under-expenditure.
According to him, the unspent GH¢30 billion represents projects, jobs, and development programmes that were promised to Ghanaians but had not been delivered by the mid-year mark.
“The reason many constituencies do not have projects ongoing is because the government has under-executed the budget by GH¢30 billion. Those are jobs, projects and programmes that were promised but have not been delivered,” he said.
The former Information Minister also challenged the Finance Minister’s explanation that spending was being restrained to meet the 1.5 percent primary balance agreed under Ghana’s IMF-supported programme. He argued that fiscal discipline should not come at the expense of implementing key government policies and development projects.
Hon. Oppong Nkrumah further claimed that the government intends to reduce the primary balance target to 0.5 percent in 2027, suggesting that the move would be driven by political considerations ahead of the elections rather than sound economic management.
He also linked what he described as expenditure cuts to challenges facing several sectors, including flood control, agriculture, education and health. He argued that delayed spending had affected flood mitigation efforts, fertilizer distribution, teacher recruitment and the employment of health professionals.
The Ofoase Ayirebi MP maintained that government should focus on improving revenue mobilization instead of delaying the implementation of budgeted programmes, insisting that the impact of the under-execution is being felt by ordinary Ghanaians through delayed projects, unemployment and rising living costs.
His remarks formed part of the ongoing parliamentary debate on the 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review, with members of both the Majority and Minority offering differing assessments of the country’s economic performance.
— Our Democracy News
