The government’s ambitious ‘Big Push’ infrastructure agenda is facing a significant financing gap, raising concerns over its long-term viability amid stagnating oil revenues and declining mineral royalties.
A key part of the government’s development strategy, the Big Push aims to channel $2 billion annually from oil and mineral revenues into infrastructure projects through to 2029. However, projections suggest a major shortfall in funding for the 2025 fiscal year.
Benjamin Nsiah, Executive Director at the Centre for Environmental Management and Sustainable Energy, told 3Business on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, that the 2025 Budget is expected to reveal the scale of the financial challenge.
“The budget projects $490 million in funding for the Big Push, alongside $557 million in mineral royalties. This leaves a shortfall of $953 million when compared to the $2 billion target,” Mr Nsiah said.
He warned that core funding sources—namely oil revenues and mineral royalties—may not deliver as expected due to stagnation in the extractive sector.
“The key source of funding for the project is at risk because the mineral royalties may not come, and oil proceeds are also not going to come,” he added.
The situation casts doubt on the feasibility of the Big Push, which the government has touted as a cornerstone of its economic transformation plan.
If current trends persist, implementation delays or scaling back of projects may become inevitable, raising questions about how the initiative will be sustained in the coming years.
By Noel Mawudem Coffie
