The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin has reacted to the 2027 Budget and Policy Statement presented by the Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson to Parliament on November 12.
Speaking to journalists after the presentation of the budget, Afenyo-Markin criticised the government for not providing adequate jobs for the youth,
He also pointed to high cost of food stuffs on the local markets.
Please read on:
Ladies and gentlemen of the press, we cannot be silenced when the Finance Minister came to present to us a paper economy.
When that economy, the figures do not reflect the reality on the ground.
The reality is that at the Kotokoraba Market, at the Kejetia Market, at the Chorkor Market, at the Agbogbloshie Market, Kumasi Asafo Market, and at the Winneba Central Market, prices of foodstuffs remain high and Ghanaians cannot afford them.
The same is being experienced in Accra and Korle Bu markets, at the Abeka Market, and at Makola.
Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Speaker did not allow us to make our submissions to express the Minority’s preliminary observations about this presentation.
The Minister of Finance claims that there is going to be the processing of maize and other farm produce. Meanwhile, for two years, we have seen the rising cost of rice, maize, sorghum and yam. These are produce from our farmers, and they are more expensive than imported rice, maize and sorghum. Our farmers are suffering; they are not getting any support from the government.
If you pay attention to what the Minister said about cocoa, there is no such effort by the government to support cocoa farmers. You realise that since this government came into office, the farm-gate price of cocoa per bag has rather reduced. Meanwhile, in opposition, that was not what they promised.
The Minister now tells us that the work ahead will demand patience. Whose patience? He himself was a Minority Leader. He said that the way the economy was being run was not the right way, and that the John Mahama-led government would do better.
Today, when Ghanaians called upon the government to provide jobs, Dr. Ato Forson is saying that the work ahead demands patience. Patience after two years. This is his penultimate budget, and he is calling for patience.
If you read the budget clearly, the government is also saying that it is going to implement a four-year development plan. By the way, by 2028, they will be exiting government. Because if the government says that there is a new four-year development plan from 2027 to 2030, the government leaves us in confusion.
They did not tell us how much of the $10 billion earmarked for the New Economy will be available for the year 2027. They also failed to tell us how much will be expended in 2027, and the specific projects this will finance, for proper tracking.
So we ask, as a Minority, what is the difference between the New Economy and the so-called 24-Hour Economy? In fact, our question is: how many economies will be unveiled in Ghana within four years? They are talking about a new 24-Hour Economy. We also know of the 24-Hour Economy. And finally, we also know of the cocaine economy.
Now, on the Big Push, they said they were committing $30 billion to the Big Push, but in their budget, it has been halved. The government is now talking about $14 billion for the Big Push.
In fact, they were in haste to erase the Big Six from our currency and our history. Out of their haste, we saw them adorning a new 50-cedi note bearing the name of Theodosia Okoh. But they got her picture wrong and placed on the 50-cedi note a different face.
So the question is: a whole government machinery that cannot be diligent enough to get the right picture to put on our currency, how can we trust them with our economy? Can we trust them to put money in our pockets?
Mr. Speaker, ladies and gentlemen of the press, we, the Minority, are going to do a critical examination of the budget statement as presented. And after the budget debate, we will come out with a full critique of our views and let Ghanaians know that this NDC government is a sloganeering government.
What they came to do was to subject us to another round of slogans and no jobs. Stability on paper, hardship in our pockets. You cannot — the NDC cannot rebrand unemployment. They cannot slogan away the cost of living.
They claim that they have money to pay the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme. Those whose savings were postponed, deferred — the payments were deferred — they say they have money to pay. That is good news. We welcome that. But the question is: where is the money to pay? The money to pay teachers, the money to pay nurses, and the money to recruit?
So this is a double-tongued government. Very inconsistent. Not straightforward. Always creating inconsistency, with one aim: to scam the people of Ghana.
They cannot even employ their own foot soldiers. All over the place, their own foot soldiers are complaining. They have not been able to tell us how many jobs they have created.
They want to keep flowery data. It is not data that Ghanaians are going to consume. Ghanaians want jobs, jobs, jobs. We are not interested in data. We are not interested in a paper economy. We are not interested in what they call a New Economy.
If you look at the faces of the MPs, you could see that their morale was very low. Some were wearing white, some were wearing black, some were wearing red, some were wearing blue. And looking at the faces of their ministers, you could see that their budget, as read by Dr. Ato Forson, offers no hope at all, even to their own ministers.
So, ladies and gentlemen, bear in mind: a year ago, the Minority said that given time, the true colours of the NDC would be exposed. Now, today, the NDC — the NDC that promised the 24-Hour Economy, that promised the women a new bank to offer them loans — today, it is clear that the NDC could not fulfil its own promises to the women, the traders of this country.
Where is the Women’s Bank? They did not even talk about it. Meanwhile, in the 2025 Budget, they said they were going to establish a Women’s Bank. In 2026, they said the same thing. But in 2027, they were quiet. The Minister was silent. So it means that is another scam.
They said one job, three shifts. Rather, they have increased electricity tariffs by almost 28%.
And even in the attempt to reintroduce the 1D1F that they hastily cancelled, they are now saying that if you bring your machinery, they will only exempt you for one year. So there is no incentive for the private sector. In the NPP administration, we offered incentives on both machinery and raw materials. That is why we saw many investors coming into Ghana to take advantage of the 1D1F to create jobs.
Without the private sector, the economy cannot grow. The NDC is not growing the economy. The NDC is not creating jobs. It is not creating an opportunity for businesses to flourish.
What they love best is rather to tax, tax, tax.
Thank you very much indeed.
