By: Ashiadey Dotse
Economist, Dr. Frank Banor, has raised serious concerns about the credibility of the 2026 Budget, pointing to clear contradictions between figures in the main budget statement and those found in the appendices.
Speaking on GTV’s Breakfast Show on Monday November 24, 2025, he said the differences cast doubt on government’s commitment to its own promises and make it difficult for the public to trust the budget.
Dr. Banor explained that although the government presented the 2026 Budget as credible, a closer look at the allocations especially for flagship programmes shows inconsistencies that must be addressed.
He stressed that credibility can only be assessed by comparing the new budget with the performance of the 2025 Budget, which he says failed to deliver on key commitments.
He said the government’s flagship 24-hour economy programme is a clear example of the contradictions. The budget statement indicates an allocation of GH¢110 million, but the appendices which provide the detailed breakdown show GH¢90 million instead.
According to him, this raises the question: “Which figure should the public believe?”
Dr. Banor noted that even the higher figure of GH¢110 million is far below what is required to effectively roll out the 24-hour economy, which government itself has presented as a major national policy. He argued that a credible budget should show at least 50–60 percent commitment to such a programme, not less than 10 percent.
The economist added that similar discrepancies exist in the government’s “Big Push” initiative. He said Parliament approved more than GH¢25 billion, yet reports from the 2025 Budget show that only about GH¢9 billion has actually been committed.
Dr. Banor also criticised the government’s handling of allocations for the Gold Board. Parliament approved GH¢279 million, but less than GH¢10,000 has reportedly been released. He said this is one of the reasons why people are questioning the government’s claims about a “broken economy”.
On the health sector, Dr. Banor said Agenda 111 hospitals continue to face delays despite their importance.
He revealed that during his recent travels in the Northern Region, he observed several hospitals still stuck at 60–70 percent completion. Yet, government allocated only GH¢100 million for their completion in the 2026 Budget, while allocating more than GH¢270 million for sanitary pads and related procurement.
