The Minority Caucus in Parliament has criticized the government’s 2026 Budget Statement and Economic Policy, labeling it a "Growthless, Jobless and Minimalist Budget."
The caucus argues that the government’s claims of investment and job creation are purely rhetorical and not supported by the actual fiscal plan.
The Minister for Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, had presented the budget on November 13 under the theme “Resetting for Growth, Jobs and Economic Transformation,” pledging a “Big Push” to boost infrastructure, exports, and employment.
However, addressing the media on behalf of the Minority, former Finance Minister Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam said the budget’s capital expenditure is far below what is required for genuine transformation.
“Capital expenditure in the Budget for 2026 is only 3.6% of GDP—far below what is required for a genuine infrastructure-led transformation,” he said, noting that flagship initiatives such as the 24-hour economy and the Big Push remain underfunded or poorly implemented.
Dr. Adam highlighted structural fiscal risks that, he said, have been ignored in the budget, pointing to state-owned enterprise liabilities and domestic debt pressures.
He warned that many of the government’s policy measures were more rhetorical than practical.
“Policies without clear budget risks are becoming slogans rather than deliverable programmes. Ghana needs a Budget that strengthens revenue realism, expands productive investment, protects fiscal credibility, and enables the private sector to lead job creation,” Dr. Adam said.
He concluded, “Members of the press, at best, we can therefore describe the 2026 budget, the Galamsey Budget, as Growthless, Jobless and Minimalist Budget. It contains only cosmetic rhetorics presented by a crawling government. The people of Ghana must speak up for the government to know that the honeymoon period is over.”