PARLIAMENT, ahead of its adjournment sine die on Friday, passed the Appropriation (No.2) Bill, 2025.
This allows the government to withdraw GH¢357.1 billion from the Consolidated Fund and other public funds, and for related matters to finance its operations for the 2026 fiscal year.
The passage of the bill was in accordance with the constitution requirement under paragraph (a) of clause (2) of article 179 of the 1992 Constitution that estimates of expenditure of public offices shall be included in an Appropriation Bill to be introduced in Parliament to provide for funds from the Consolidated Fund and other public funds to meet government expenditure.
Debating the Bill on the floor of Parliament on Thursday, the Minister of Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, argued that the government, under President John Dramani Mahama, had been more prudentand made economic progress, as compared to the previous administration.
According to him, the decision by the government to purchase a new presidential jet, which he said, was criticised by the Minority Caucus in Parliament, was justifiable and a sign of prudent economic management.
“Mr Speaker, I heard my colleagues on the other side say that a prudent government is planning to buy a presidential jet. But Mr Speaker, the fact remains that it is better to buy than to rent and that the cost of buying is equivalent to the cost of two years of renting aircraft by the previous administration,” Dr Forson stated.
He further said that the government, under the Appropriation Bill, 2025, would not be borrowing from the central bank, noting that the government would have to serve an amount of USD 710 million Euro Bond debt that the country owed under the previous administration.
“Mr Speaker, let me also place on record that in this budget, we are provisioning to spend GH¢ 28.9 billion for the services of the country. Mr Speaker, let me say that this year has been good, and next year will even be better for the people of Ghana,” Dr Forson added.
On the contrary, the Minority Leader, Mr Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, described that GH¢ 357.1 billion appropriation as an appropriation that lacked “hope” for the citizenry.
Mr Afenyo-Markin indicated that despite the appropriation made, most releases had not been made to sector ministers to enable them to carry out their duties, noting “a lot of the ministers complain at committee hearing that they have not received monies to finance their work at the various ministries.”
He also accused the government of failing to allocate adequate funds to the sectors responsible for job creation initiativesto help address unemployment in the country.
BY BENJAMIN ARCTON-TETTEY
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