The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Minority in Parliament on Thursday alleged that the Mahama-led Government has borrowed GH¢73 billion in two months since assuming office on January 7, 2025.
Dr Gideon Boako, the Member of Parliament for Tano North, addressing the media during the Minority’s True Budget Statement at Parliament House, said the Caucus had received report that on Friday, March 14, the Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson would borrow an additional six billion Ghana cedis from the domestic stock market to increase the borrowed amount to GH¢ 79 billion.
He observed that given the alarming rate of borrowing by the government, if care was not taken, it would borrow GH¢200 billion by the end of the year.
Dr Boako expressed shock at the rate of the Government’s borrowing, noting that the Akufo-Addo’s government did not borrow up to GH¢15 billion in 2017 upon assuming office.
He also expressed surprise at the GH¢2.7 billion budget compensation allocated to the Office of the Government Machinery (OGM), noting that the previous NPP government allocated GH¢326 million to the OGM in 2024.
The legislator also wondered how a whopping GH¢78.8 million was located to the Government Communications headed by Felix Kwakye Ofosu, which was higher than the budget of four ministries in the previous government while GH¢50 million was allocated solely to the Research Department of the OGM.
Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, the former Minister of Finance and Member of Parliament for Karaga, said the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) Government had been using clandestine strategy to manipulate the fiscal data to support its baseless claims of inheriting a badly managed economy from the previous NPP government.
“This is a carefully crafted strategy that been pursued right from the President himself during his message on the State of the Nation and repeated at the National Economic Dialogue.
“The 2025 Budget was, however, going to be the vehicle for confirming what has been perfectly rehearsed to crown the narrative by putting data to the unfounded claims,” Dr Adam stated.
GNA