The Minority in Parliament says it will oppose any additional funding request by Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, while he delivers the 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review in Parliament today, Thursday, July 23, 2026.
Rather, the caucus says Government should rather use the period to explain to Ghanaians what it has achieved in its campaign promises, settle arrears owed to contractors, and outline progress on key flagship programmes, and not seek further financial approvals.
First Deputy Minority Whip and MP for Tolon, Habib Iddrisu, speaking on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, stated that Parliament already approved substantial financing for the Government and insisted any attempt by the Finance Minister to seek additional funds would not receive their backing.
“If the Finance Minister comes here to this House tomorrow, we will be observing and monitoring every line of his statement or his budget, and we beg him; he should not come and ask for any money because we will not give him any money because of the money that we have given.”
According to the Minority, one key expectation of Ghanaians is for the Government to outline how it intends to defray its debt to local contractors, many of whom, the caucus noted, are battling financial struggles.
“What Ghanaians are expecting of him in the statement is to state clearly and pay Ghanaian contractors. Ghanaian contractors have not been paid; they are suffering, there is no money in the system.”
Also, the Minority said Government flagship initiatives such as Nkoko Nkitinkiti, the Nkoko Nkitinkiti programme, the proposed 24-hour economy policy, the Women’s Development Bank and the “One, Three, Three” initiative, should be updated.
They contended that many of the programmes remained unfulfilled and existed largely as policy announcements.
“The jobs that they promised Ghanaian youth, including NDC youth, is only on paper.”
“The 24-hour economy, ‘Yamutu’. The women’s bank, ‘Yamutu’. 133, ‘Yamutu’. Paying contractors, ‘Yamutu’.”
Meanwhile, the caucus is demanding from the Government, a prudent utilisation of approved resources, such as the about US$1 billion facility recently approved by the House, rather than seeking fresh allocations.
The Minority further argued that the government must demonstrate tangible progress on its economic commitments before returning to Parliament for additional financial support.
The 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review, to be presented by Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, is expected to provide an update on the performance of the economy during the first half of the fiscal year, assess implementation of the 2026 Budget Statement and outline revised fiscal and economic projections for the remainder of the year.
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