The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Minority in Parliament has critically examined the 2025 and 2026 budget statements and economic policies of the government, giving a damning verdict on the fulfilment of promises in these policy documents.
According to the Minority, even though the Mahama administration made flamboyant budgetary allocations in the 2025 budget to ostensibly excite the people, actual releases to various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), have been terribly below expectations.
Addressing the media on the 2026 budget statement, Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam, the Ranking Member on the Finance Committee of Parliament, said the budget simply confirmed the fears of the Minority caucus.
“A close look at the data presented in the 2026 Budget confirmed the fear by the minority earlier this year that this government was incapable of implementing the programmes they presented in the 2025 Budget,” he stated.
For instance, Dr Amin Adam pointed out that the government programmed Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) for Q1-Q3 was GH¢26.6 billion, but the actual release was just GH¢11 billion, representing a paltry 34% of the total CAPEX of GH¢32.6 billion allocated for the year 2025.
Again,the government programmed to spend GH¢5.1 billion from Q1 to Q3, but ended up spending only GH¢3.8 billion.
“This compares to the annual allocation of GH¢6.7 billion. The amount released for goods and services is 56% of the total allocation for the year,” Dr Amin Adam pointed out.
Unfulfilled lofty promises
The John Mahama administration, the Minority noted, secured the mandate of Ghanaians on the back of lofty pledges to transform the economic paradigm of Ghana, which, unfortunately, were not fulfilled.
“You remember the 24-hour economy the government launched was said to be a job creation policy with a ‘homegrown formula’.
“They told us 1-3-3 (One Job, Three People, Three Shifts). What happened?.
“Today, the 24-hour economy policy is a confusing mix of policy ideas with no clear implementation arrangements.
“The same youth who were told they would have shifts to work once this government comes to power continue to roam the streets without work, while farmers and traders complain of poor sales due to weak demand,” Dr Amin Adam, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Karaga, bemoaned.
24-hour-economy funding fiasco
The 24-hour economy, according to the government’s own figures, is estimated to cost US$4 billion of which the government is expected to contribute between US$300 – US$400 million.
However, Dr Amin Adam noted that the nation is going into the second year since the programme was launched and yet the government has failed to announce in the 2026 Budget the targeted tax incentives and rebates it promised to attract the investment.
“The allocation of GH¢90 million to the 24H Economy (the Minister said GH¢110 million) of which GH¢70 million is for Goods and services and GH¢20 million for CAPEX, can best be described as tokenism, given that the programme is the main development blueprint of the government.
“This cannot help achieve the programme objectives of creating a 1-3-3 job model,” the Minority stressed.
‘Big-Push’ that received little push
The Minority also noted that the government flagship programme, “The Big Push”, which was promised GH¢13 billion for implementation by the government, had, by July, been issued commitments authorisation of only GH¢7.6 billion.
“It is yet to be seen how much they have actually disbursed under the programme as the year draws to an end.
“Will Ghanaians therefore believe the President and the Minister for allocating GH¢30 billion for Big Push in the 2026 Budget when they could not even release funds allocated for the Big Push in the 2025 Budget?
“Surprisingly, in his usual excitement, the Minister indicated at paragraph 1183 of the Budget Statement ‘The GH¢63 billion road contracts awarded so far under the Big Push, will generate an estimated 490,000 jobs’.
“How is the government able to award road contracts under the Big Push amounting to GH¢63 billion, when the total allocation for 2025 was GH¢13 billion? “These 490,000 jobs promised from the Big-Push are dead on arrival as there are no contracts worth GH¢63 billion under the Big Push anywhere in Ghana,” the Minority stated.
According to Dr Amin Adam, even if the total allocation for 2025 and 2026 for the Big Push was released, it would amount to GH¢43 billion, far less than the GH¢63 billion stated.
“This is how this government is manufacturing success stories for itself,” the Minority decried.
The Minority stated that even if this was true, the Minister for Finance would have violated the Public Financial Management Act, which frowns on awarding contracts without budget allocation or commitment authorisation by the Minister.
“The promised ‘Big Push’ for jobs and infrastructure is therefore not reflected in the numbers,” the Ranking Member on Finance, who is also a former Minister for Finance, noted.
