President Mahama nominates five for Fiscal Council to strengthen public finance oversight
President John Dramani Mahama has nominated five persons for appointment to Ghana’s Fiscal Council, a statutory body set up to assess fiscal policy and monitor compliance with public debt and spending rules.
The nominations were announced on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, in a statement issued by the Presidency and signed by the Minister of Government Communications and Presidential Spokesperson, Mr Felix Kwakye Ofosu.
The statement said the nominations were made under Section 11D of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921), as amended by the Public Financial Management (Amendment) Act, 2025 (Act 1136).
Dr Emmanuel Oteng Kumah has been nominated as Chairperson of the Council. He is an international economic consultant and adviser with experience at the International Monetary Fund and a former Board Chairman of Standard Chartered Bank Ghana.
Associate Professor Patrick Opoku Asuming of the University of Ghana Business School has been nominated as the representative from academia. He is a development economist with a PhD from Columbia University and has published on health economics and public policy in Ghana.
Mr Leslie Dwight Mensah has been nominated to represent a research think tank, while Mr J. Kweku Bedu-Addo has been nominated as a former public policy expert from the Ministry responsible for Finance. Dr Henry Akpenamawu Kofi Wampah has been nominated as the former public policy expert from the Bank of Ghana, in line with the requirements of the law.
Dr Wampah served as Governor of the Bank of Ghana from 2013 to 2016, following his appointment by President Mahama during his first term in office.
The statement said all five nominees are subject to parliamentary approval before the Council becomes operational.
The Fiscal Council was created under the 2025 amendment to the Public Financial Management Act. The amendment repealed the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2018 (Act 982), and incorporated its provisions into the main law. It also replaced the Presidential Fiscal Advisory Council, which had been in place since 2018.
Under the amended law, the Fiscal Council is established as an independent statutory body with the mandate to supervise the government, particularly the Ministry of Finance, in the application of fiscal rules. The law bars members from holding any position within government, a measure intended to protect their independence.
The Council is expected to advise the government on fiscal policy and provide Parliament’s committee responsible for the budget with independent assessments of the government’s adherence to primary balance and public debt rules. It is also required to engage the media at least twice each year to brief the public on its work.
The Presidency said the Council is intended to strengthen oversight, promote fiscal discipline and support sound decision-making in public financial management.
The 2025 amendment introduced tighter fiscal rules alongside the establishment of the Council as part of efforts to improve accountability in the management of public finances.
