By Valentia Tetteh
The Ranking Member on the Economic and Development Committee and MP for Ofoase Ayirebi constituency, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has criticised the government’s 2025 fiscal strategy, stating that it is undermining the delivery of public services.
Addressing a press conference held by the Minority Caucus in Parliament following the presentation of the Mid-Year Budget Review, Mr. Oppong Nkrumah questioned the basis of the government’s revenue and expenditure plans, stating that they have fallen far short of expectations.
“We have to ask ourselves: what was the fiscal strategy that the government brought into 2025, and has it delivered?” he asked. “The Minister promised to raise revenue from 13% to 18% of GDP without introducing new taxes, but today we are seeing the introduction of at least eight new taxes — and still a shortfall of GH¢3 billion.”
He accused the Finance Minister of veering off the original strategy and resorting to policies previously proposed by the Minority. “They are now reversing course and adopting the very recommendations we made, which they initially rejected. But because that was not their original plan, it is now leading to major gaps in public service delivery,” he said.
Mr. Oppong Nkrumah further noted that flagship programmes have seen little to no disbursement. “You can register for the National Coders Programme or the National Apprenticeship Programme, but the budget release is zero,” he said. “If the release is zero, will you be coding? Will you be trained as an apprentice?”
He also raised concerns about the impact of the government’s failing strategy on healthcare delivery and capital projects such as Agenda 111. “When your fiscal strategy fails, you can’t pay nurses; you can’t complete hospitals. You can’t fund capital expenditure,” he stated.
The Minority, he said, is recommending more pragmatic approaches for 2026, including a stronger focus on public-private partnerships. “You can’t fund everything from the Treasury. Crowd in the private sector through PPPs to finance what you can’t,” he advised.
On the issue of foreign exchange, he cautioned that the government’s current approach — including heavy interventions from the Central Bank — is unsustainable. “The IMF has warned that you can’t keep pumping $1.4 billion every six months. It’s time to focus on sustainable solutions,” he added.
The Minority insists that the government must align its fiscal strategies with practical implementation to ensure Ghanaians feel the real impact of public policies.
