The Minority Caucus in Parliament has introduced a Private Member’s Bill aimed at strengthening fiscal discipline and improving the alignment between Ghana’s national budget and long-term development priorities.
The proposed Public Financial Management (Amendment) Bill, 2026, seeks to tighten controls under the existing Public Financial Management framework by ensuring that public spending is strictly tied to programmes approved within the national development architecture.
Speaking at a stakeholder engagement in Accra, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Ranking Member on Parliament’s Economy and Development Committee and sponsor of the Bill, said the amendment would promote budget credibility and curb discretionary spending.
He explained that the proposal would prevent the Minister for Finance, Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, from releasing funds to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), as well as Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), for projects not captured within development plans approved by the National Development Planning Commission.
According to Mr. Oppong Nkrumah, the objective is to eliminate unplanned expenditure that falls outside Ghana’s strategic development framework, while safeguarding funding for genuine contingencies and emergencies.
“This amendment seeks to deny funding for regular programmes and projects that are not certified as part of the NDPC’s approved development plans,” he said, noting that such projects would only qualify for budgetary allocation once properly incorporated and certified within the national development framework.
From a macroeconomic perspective, the proposed amendment is designed to reinforce expenditure discipline at a time when Ghana continues efforts to consolidate its fiscal position, restore investor confidence and stabilise public debt dynamics.
Mr. Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, Clerk to Parliament, urged stakeholders to focus on aligning annual budgets with Ghana’s long-term development aspirations as outlined in Chapter Six of the Constitution, stressing that coherence between planning and budgeting is central to sustainable growth.
Mr. Camillo Pwamang, Deputy Clerk to Parliament in charge of Legislative Management Services, indicated that the amendment would introduce additional accountability mechanisms.
These include making NDPC-approved development plans the mandatory basis for annual budget preparation and requiring the publication of annual progress reports before expenditure warrants are issued.
He noted that under the proposed reforms, the publication of development progress reports would become a precondition for the inclusion of budget estimates and the release of public funds.
Analysts say if passed, the amendment could enhance fiscal transparency, reduce politically motivated spending and strengthen Ghana’s public financial management systems, with potential positive implications for credit ratings, donor confidence and private sector investment sentiment.
The Bill is expected to undergo further consultations before being formally laid before Parliament for debate.
