The Finance Minister is targeting November 24 to read the 2023 budget, according to the Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu.
“Given the circumstance now, the Minister has informed us, in fact, he has written, that he will rather prefer to come here and work everything out in such a way that on the 24th, he will do the delivery here,” Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said in Parliament on Friday.
The budget is highly anticipated because of Ghana’s current economic crisis and negotiations with the International Monetary Fund for support.
Some stakeholders have raised fears about the government not being able to read the budget at least one month before the end of the financial year, as stipulated in article 179 of the constitution.
In response to the Minority Leader who raised concerns about a possible breach of the law if the budget is not presented on the 24th of November, Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu further assured that the budget will be read before November 30.
The government already expected the 2023 budget to delay due to talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the bailout.
The budget statement was scheduled to be read on November 15, as stipulated by the Public Financial Act.