The Minority Leadership argued that the ruling by Speaker Alban Bagbin last year, to allow the Finance Minister, Cassiel Ato Forson to present the Budget before the House determined that the Budget should be debated in the form of a statement or motion ought to be reviewed.

Published 12 Nov 2026, 06:11 GMT

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The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin has seconded a Private Members’ Motion moved by the First Deputy Whip, Habib Iddrisu seeking a review of the Speaker’s earlier ruling on the form of presenting a Budget Statement and Economic Policy on the floor of the House.

According to the Minority, that determination must be done by the House before the Budget Statement is presented not after as ruled by the Speaker.

In his response, the Speaker requested to know the subject matter being discussed on the floor, on which Habib Iddrisu interrupted on a point of order.

Mr. Speaker not satisfied with the explanation from the Minority front bench, appealed that their application should be reconsidered with further particulars before it can be debated on the floor of the House and subsequently ruled by him.

Ghana’s 2027 Budget, christened 'The New Economy'. is expected to be presented to Parliament at 6 pm on Thursday, November 12.

Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, says the adjustment to an evening sitting follows a request by the Finance Minister, which he has approved after being given compelling reasons.

The 2027 Budget is expected to outline the government’s economic priorities and policy direction, with a focus on shaping a new economy, driving growth, creating jobs and improving the livelihoods of Ghanaians.

Ahead of the presentation, Director of the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), Professor Robert Darko Osei asked the government to raise capital spending in the 2027 budget to improve infrastructure and business productivity. He directs the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER).

On JoyNews' PM Express Business Edition, Osei said spending on capital projects missed its target by more than 40 per cent during the first half of 2026, as project cuts helped the state meet fiscal consolidation goals.

"We were down by the target by over 40 percent in terms of the capital expenditures, which clearly is not consistent with a big push to try and beef up infrastructure," he said.

He warned that leaning on capital spending cuts to balance the books undermines the physical infrastructure required to lower business operating costs and conflicts with the administration's US$9 billion 'New Economy' plan for 2027–2030.

"We are not doing the infrastructure for the sake of infrastructure. We are doing the infrastructure to support the ecosystem within which businesses operate," Osei noted.

However, he cautioned that higher capital allocations must be matched by strict project monitoring, accountability and value-for-money checks.

"It is not just the number of or the amount of cedis that we spend. It is also the efficiency of the spending," Osei stressed.

Laud NarteyLaud Nartey is a current affairs editor with the MG News team at Media General, serving TV3 Ghana, 3News, Onua TV and more platforms.

Minority seeks review of Speaker’s ruling on the form of presenting a Budget Statement

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