Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson yesterday presented the 2025 Budget to Parliament, outlining key financial allocations aimed at boosting economic growth, social welfare, and infrastructure development.
The budget prioritizes education, healthcare, agriculture, and disaster relief, among other critical areas.
A significant highlight of the budget is the GH¢13.85 billion allocation for the Big Push Programme
Education also received substantial funding, with GH¢3.5 billion earmarked for the Free Senior High School (SHS) program and GH¢499.8 million dedicated to the No-Academic-Fee policy for first-year students in public tertiary institutions.
Additionally, GH¢564.6 million has been set aside for the provision of free curricula-based textbooks, while GH¢1.788 billion will go toward the School Feeding Programme.
In an effort to improve healthcare access, the government has allocated GH¢9.93 billion to the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) with GH¢292.4 million designated for the distribution of free sanitary pads to female students in primary and secondary schools, a move aimed at promoting menstrual health and reducing school absenteeism.
To address recent disasters, the budget includes GH¢242.5 million to support victims of the Akosombo dam spillage and GH¢200 million for those affected by tidal waves in the Ketu South constituency. These allocations are intended to provide relief and facilitate recovery efforts for impacted communities.
The agriculture sector has also been prioritized, with GH¢1.5 billion dedicated to the Agriculture for Economic Transformation Agenda (AETA), reinforcing the government’s commitment to food security and agribusiness development.
Additionally, the Ghana Road Fund will receive GH¢2.81 billion to support road maintenance and expansion projects across the country.
Local governance and development initiatives have been factored into the budget as well.
The District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) has been allocated GH¢7.51 billion, while GH¢300 million has been set aside for the National Apprenticeship Programme. To empower women entrepreneurs, a seed fund of GH¢51.3 million has been allocated for the establishment of the Women’s Development Bank.
Other key allocations include GH¢203 million for teacher trainee allowances, GH¢480 million for nursing trainee allowances, GH¢145.5 million for the Capitation Grant, GH¢100 million for the ‘Adwumawura’ Programme, and GH¢100 million for the National Coders Programme.
