Afenyo Markin Demands Finance Minister Withdraw Defective Budget

Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo Markin has called on Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson to withdraw the 2026 budget statement, citing multiple errors in the document including references to ministries that have been scrapped or renamed by the current government.

The Effutu Member of Parliament made the demand during parliamentary proceedings on Thursday, November 28, pointing out what he described as fundamental mistakes that undermine the credibility of the fiscal document.

Afenyo Markin argued that the document contains significant inaccuracies that require immediate correction before Parliament can properly consider it. He emphasized that references to non existent ministries demonstrate a lack of attention to detail in preparing the national budget.

The call to withdraw the budget represents an escalation of the Minority’s criticism of the government’s fiscal policy. Afenyo Markin previously described the 2026 budget as full of lamentations when it was first presented on November 13, stating that the Finance Minister simply repeated complaints from his earlier budget presentation in March.

The Minority Leader has consistently criticized the budget for failing to outline concrete steps toward the government’s promised 24 hour economy initiative. He questioned where the jobs are, noting that the budget did not even mention the 24 hour economy or the promised one job, three shift concept.

Afenyo Markin also raised concerns about alleged monthly constituency transfers from the Presidency, referencing claims by Mustapha Gbande, Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), that the Presidency gives GHS20,000 to each constituency every month. He questioned why such expenditures totaling GHS66 million annually are not captured in the budget.

The Minority Leader further questioned whether there was any consultation during the budget preparation process, arguing that even though Dr Forson is himself a legislator, the financial provisions did not reflect an appreciation of Parliament’s responsibilities. He noted that the reaction of ministers in the chamber suggested they were unfamiliar with several figures mentioned in the budget.

During his concluding remarks at the end of the budget debate, Afenyo Markin accused the government of surrendering to illegal mining activities, pointing to provisions empowering the GoldBod to purchase gold from small scale miners. He stated that this move amounts to state approval of unregulated mining operations and contradicts government claims of tackling illegal mining.

The Finance Minister has not yet responded publicly to the Minority Leader’s demand to withdraw the budget. Parliament has been conducting debate on the 2026 budget statement throughout the week, with various members contributing perspectives on the government’s fiscal plans.

The budget projects total revenue and grants of GHS268.1 billion for 2026, representing an 18.3 percent increase from 2025 estimates. It targets real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 4.8 to 4.9 percent and aims to reduce the budget deficit to 2 percent of GDP.