The Minority in Parliament has accused the government of presenting conflicting figures in the 2027 budget, raising doubts about the accuracy and clarity of some of the financial data laid before Parliament. The Ranking Member of Parliament’s Finance Committee, Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, said a review of the Budget Statement uncovered different figures for key spending and economic indicators in various parts of the document. Addressing the media at Parliament on Friday, November 13th, following Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson’s presentation, he called for explanations to reconcile the inconsistencies.
Dr Amin Adam cited Ghana’s gross international reserves at the end of September 2026, which were captured as US$12.7 billion in one paragraph and US$12.1 billion in another. He also pointed to varying allocations for the Big Push programme, listed as GH¢27.8 billion, GH¢28 billion and GH¢29.8 billion in different sections. The Minority further flagged discrepancies in capital expenditure figures, stated as GH¢98.4 billion, GH¢98.3 billion and GH¢100.4 billion across the document. He also questioned the Budget’s claim of identifying five principal risks, saying only four were listed.He argued that the omitted risks included the Bank of Ghana’s losses, COCOBOD’s GH¢30.55 billion debt and arrears in the energy sector. “The Budget’s numbers do not add up. Where the numbers do not match, Ghanaians must ask which one is real,” he said. Dr Amin Adam said government must provide clear and consistent information to enable Parliament to properly scrutinise its expenditure plans, revenue projections and economic targets.
