Finance Minister presents budget on November 15

The Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori Atta, will present the Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the government for the 2024 financial year on Wednesday, November 15, 2023. 

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, made this known at the commencement of the third meeting of the third session of the Eighth Parliament last Tuesday.

He said as Parliament, its oversight responsibility required the House to scrutinise the budget to ensure that it served the needs of all Ghanaians.

“I believe this House will adopt a consultative and consensus-building approach throughout this process.

“We have demonstrated enough capacity and experience in budget approval deliberations and this will be no different,” he said.

Mr Bagbin, however, advised the House on the need to urgently pass the Budget Bill before the House to enable Parliament to engage more technical personnel to put Parliament in good stead to comply with the imperatives of recent legislation passed by the House. 

Papers

Dwelling on several papers to be presented, the Speaker said there were other urgent business the House had to deal with.

He mentioned them as the Affirmative Action (Gender Equality) Bill 2023, the Social Protection Bill and the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (Amendment) Bill.

Others were instruments such as Representation of the People (Parliamentary Constituencies) (Amendments) Instrument 2023, the District Electoral Areas and Designation of Units (Amendments) Regulations 2023, Ghana Enterprises Agency (Classification of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) Regulations 2023, Tree Crop Regulation 2023, Chartered Institute of Human Resources Management, Ghana Regulations and the Companies Regulations 2023.

In his welcoming address, the Minority Leader, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, said the Minority Caucus was particularly poised to be back, given that it was the budget meeting.

He assured Ghanaians that the Minority would scrutinise the upcoming budget statement and Economic Policy of the government with eagle eyes.

“The prevailing economic conditions have already made it very difficult for the ordinary Ghanaian and businesses.

Therefore, we cannot be a party to any policy or measure which makes things even more unbearable for the already suffering Ghanaians and businesses. 

“Mr Speaker, let me be blunt.

The upcoming budget statement will encounter resistance if it does not prioritise the needs of people and businesses.

That is our bottom line,” he warned.

Dr Forson said if the government knew that its upcoming budget did not prioritise the needs of the people, “then they should get ready for a showdown”.