The government has presented a budget that seeks to address the concerns of Ghanaians, with big-ticket initiatives to create jobs, build on economic stability and extend electricity to every home, starting from next year.
The government will also address post-harvest losses by buying excess produce from farmers and using some to feed students, operationalise the Farmer Service Centres with machinery and build a new power plant, owned solely by the state, to make use of gas from the Offshore Cape Three Points (OCTP) oilfield to produce 1,200 megawatts (MW) of electricity .
The Minister of Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, announced the measures when he laid the 2026 Budget and Economic Policy Statement of the government to Parliament yesterday, during which he sought approval of the House to spend GH¢357.105 billion (GH¢357,105,639,079.87) and be allowed to raise GH¢268.1 billion, up from GH¢226.5 billion in 2025, in total revenue and grants for next year.
On the theme, “Resetting for Growth, Jobs, and Economic Transformation 2026 Budget”, the Finance Minister said the Resetting Agenda was built around three central pillars:
“Restoring hope and trust in our democracy, in public institutions and in the ability of every Ghanaian to fulfil their potential; extending a trusted hand to the vulnerable, especially women and the youth, while laying the foundation for a more inclusive and compassionate economy; and stimulating demand and productivity through the 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Policy, which promotes Made-in-Ghana goods, expands jobs and keeps our economy active, day and night.”
Dr Forson also laid out plans to spend GH¢30 billion on the Big Push infrastructural programme for 2026, which he said was the single largest investment in Ghana’s physical infrastructure in recent years, to deliver additional projects, including the government’s addition of two more transformative projects, namely the Accra-Kumasi Expressway and the Ekye Amanfrom-Adawso Bridge, to the Big Push Infrastructure Programme.
Dr Forson announced the immediate release of additional GH¢200 million to the National Food Buffer Stock Company, in response to the food glut across the country, to purchase and store the excess food to protect the investment and income of food crop and poultry farmers.
“Mr Speaker, President Mahama has also directed all schools, from basic to secondary, to purchase rice, maize, chicken and eggs produced in Ghana only,” he told Parliament, adding that the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), the School Feeding Programme, the Free Secondary Education Secretariat and the National Food Buffer Stock Company are to ensure strict compliance.
Energy sector initiatives
Dr Forson also told Parliament that as part of achieving universal access to electricity, the government in 2026 would roll out the Rural Electricity Acceleration and Urban Intensification Initiative to connect every unserved and underserved community across the country.
Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, Minister of Finance, presenting the 2026 Budget in Parliament
“Mr Speaker, this initiative will be implemented through a Turnkey Implementation Model, designed to ensure faster, more efficient and coordinated delivery,” he said” adding that it would not only extend the national grid to unserved and underserved communities, but also unlock rural economic potential, improve access to education and health services, and drive Ghana’s 24-Hour Economy programme.
For the many communities where electricity to households, schools and businesses remained unconnected, especially in fast-growing settlements and outer zones, the Electricity Intensification Programme would expand network connections to them.
“Mr Speaker, this initiative will extend service lines, transformers, and distribution poles to unserved and underserved homes and enterprises, ensuring that the benefits of electrification reach every Ghanaian family,” he stated.
“Over a period of four years from 2026 to 2029, all 16 regions will be covered under the initiative in a sequenced and results-oriented approach that guarantees regional balance and prevents project fragmentation.
“Mr Speaker, in 2026, government will commence the implementation of this initiative, starting with the Volta, Oti, Savannah and Central regions,” he added.
The initiative would be augmented by the extension of off-grid solar to hard-to-reach and remote communities, such as island towns, the minister told the House.
Dr Forson said energy was the engine of Ghana’s transformation, and the government’s goal was to turn power from a constraint into a competitive advantage for every home, factory and enterprise.
He said reliable, affordable and sustainable energy would be the fuel to drive the 24-Hour Economy, power industry, light communities, and create jobs.
The Finance Minister said through bold reforms, strategic investments and smarter management, the government was advancing a Gas-to-Power Strategy to transition from the costly light crude oil for power generation to cleaner, domestically produced natural gas.
That, he said, would cut generation costs by at least 75 per cent, reduce the energy sector financing shortfalls and their fiscal impact on the budget, enhance energy security and align with climate commitments.
“Mr Speaker, we have also secured a firm agreement with the OCTP partners, led by ENI, for an additional 80 million standard cubic feet (mmscf) of gas per day of new gas supply”.
“Government has also agreed with the Jubilee Partners to increase gas production by 70mmscf of gas per day.
To utilise the large gas flow, Dr Forson said the government had constituted a project implementation committee to ensure the accelerated deployment of a second gas processing plant, Ghana Gas Processing Plant Two (GPP 2), to offtake the gas from the Jubilee partners.
“Beginning 2026, the government will commence the construction of a 1,200-megawatt state-owned thermal power plant to offtake the additional 150mmscf of gas per day from the OCTP partners and GPP 2.
He said the plant would support the provision of reliable and affordable power and secure the country’s energy future.
Again, in the area of power generation, the government would undertake feasibility studies on the mini-hydroelectric potential of the Red Volta and other southern river systems.
Agricultural sector initiatives
Given that agriculture remains the heartbeat of the country’s economy, Dr Forson said, President John Dramani Mahama, under whose authority the budget was being presented, had set in motion an ambitious and practical plan to transform agriculture, anchored on the Agricultural Transformation Programme and the 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme.
The Finance Minister said under the Farmer Service Centres initiative, the government would provide agricultural machinery for 50 agricultural districts with over 4,000 different machinery.
The machinery would include 660 tractors, 300 tractor-trailers, 200 minitractors, 200 minitractor-trailers, mineral fertiliser spreaders, and four-row precision seed drills, among others.
“Our farmers have always carried Ghana on their shoulders. With these investments, we are returning the favour, giving them the tools, technology, and support to carry the nation into a future of food security and prosperity,” he stated.
Under the Integrated Oil Palm Development (2026–2032), Dr Forson said the government would facilitate the cultivation of 100,000 hectares of new oil palm plantations, create over 250,000 direct and indirect jobs across the value chain, achieve self-sufficiency in palm oil production and export competitiveness, and promote sustainability, gender inclusion, and equitable participation for women and youth.
The bold and strategic initiative, he said, would transform Ghana’s “Red Gold” into a key driver of industrialisation, rural prosperity and foreign exchange earnings.
The initiative would be driven by a $500 million Oil Palm Development Finance, a dedicated financing window in partnership with the World Bank, other development finance institutions (DFIs) and the Development Bank Ghana (DBG).
The Finance Minister said following the completion of feasibility studies and designs, the government was adding two more transformative projects, the Accra-Kumasi Expressway and the Ekye Amanfrom-Adawso Bridge, to the Big Push Infrastructure Programme.
He described the Accra-Kumasi Expressway as a flagship of the Big Push Infrastructure Programme and the country’s first modern six-lane bi-directional Class A Expressway, stretching 198.7 kilometres.
He said it would reduce the current travel distance by over 50km, from 250km to 198.7km.
Transport costs between Accra and Kumasi would also reduce by nearly 40 per cent, and create over 30,000 direct and indirect jobs during construction.
Explaining further, Dr Forson said the expressway would feature eight major interchanges to be located in Accra, Adeiso, Asamankese, Akyem Oda, Ofoase, Lake Bosomtwe, and Kumasi, each designed to ease urban congestion and improve regional connectivity.
There would also be three major bridges over the Birim and Pra Rivers, among others.
The Finance Minister said the Adawso-Ekye Amanfrom Bridge and related road networks would open the Afram Plains to large-scale commercial agriculture, urgently required to unlock the agricultural and economic potential of the Afram Plains enclave.
Dr Forson said the 2026 budget would also deliver the World Bank-funded 1,000km agricultural enclave roads programme.
“Mr Speaker, government has identified one of the major causes of food inflation to be bad roads linking food-producing enclaves to markets.
“As a result, Government is announcing a three-year programme to construct 1,000km of agricultural enclave roads,” he stated.
Allocations
Some notable allocations are GH¢110 million towards the 24-Hour Economy, GH¢245 million Nkoko Nketenkete livestock programme, GH¢6.9 billion oil palm development, GH¢828 million for the construction of 1,000km of agriculture enclave roads, GH¢690 million to commence the operationalisation of the Farmer Service Centres and GH¢100 million for aquaculture development.
Others are GH¢2 billion for Phase One of the Rural Electricity Acceleration and Urban Intensification Initiative, GH¢4.2 billion for the Free Secondary Education GH¢537 million to the “No-Fee-Stress” policy and GH¢25 million for Free Tertiary Education for Persons with Disabilities.
The Sanitary Pads for Girls initiative will receive GH¢292 million, GH¢207 million for Teacher Trainee Allowances, GH¢2.3 billion to the Ghana Medical Care Trust (MahamaCares), GH¢474 million for Nursing Trainee Allowances, as well as GH¢600 million to construct three new regional hospitals; GH¢79 million to upgrade seven hospitals and provide enhanced maternal and child health services, while GH¢100 million has been allocated to complete 10 of the Agenda 111 hospital projects.
