Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Member of Parliament for Ofoase Ayirebi, has raised concerns over the government’s significant increase in allocations for agency compensations.
He stressed that under the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration, approximately GH¢326 million was allocated for government machinery compensations. In contrast, the current National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration has earmarked GH¢2.7 billion for the same purpose, marking a substantial rise in expenditure.
Oppong Nkrumah stressed the importance of addressing overall government expenditure rather than solely focusing on the size of the government. He said, “there has been no cut in the budget. When you look at the numbers, you’ll see that the government is spending more, not less.”
He went on to explain that under the NPP, the government spent GHC 327 million for 8 agencies, but now, the NDC is allocating GHC 2.7 billion to compensation in its budget.
“This money can even be used to build Agenda 111 hospitals and banks. But instead, it’s being used for something else,” he added.
Meanwhile, President John Dramani Mahama, has appealed for international support to help complete the Agenda 111 stalled projects, stating that the country was in debt restructuring.
However, Oppong Nkrumah urged the government to refrain from propagandist approaches and instead focus on transparent and effective fiscal management.
The MP also raised concerns about the reduction in the number of agencies under the government machinery, saying: “When they were in power, we had 8 agencies. Now, they are left with only 4, and they want to explain this as a cut?” he questioned.
Oppong Nkrumah’s critiques comes after the Finance Minister, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson presented the 2025 budget in parliament on Wednesday, 11 March 2025.
Nonetheless, the budget addressed the issue of government expenditure, emphasizing the need for fiscal prudence to manage the nation’s debt effectively.
