The Member of Parliament for Sagnarigu, Honourable Issah Atta has challenged the Minority’s criticism of the Government’s economic performance.
Speaking ahead of the reading of the 2027 Budget, the Sagnarigu MP, who also serves on the Finance Committee, argues that Ghana’s economic condition must be assessed through established measures of fiscal execution.
“Ghana’s economy cannot be assessed using our own individual feelings. There are economically identifiable indicators under the world development indicators that you use to analyze the health of an economy.”
Honourable Issah Atta
Honourable Atta disputed claims that the Government has failed to spend on its programmes, citing the IMF’s assessment that Ghana recorded a 93 percent budget execution rate in 2025. He explained that “budgets are just planned programs, and it is either you achieve everything or you can never achieve budget 100% execution budget” while pointing to the Fund’s positive assessment of Ghana’s performance under its fourth review.
On monetary policy, the Sagnarigu MP identified declining interest rates as another indication of improving economic conditions. He cited a fall in lending rates from approximately 32 percent to 15.9 percent and a reduction in the Ghana Reference Rate from 27 percent to 10.06 percent, arguing that these changes have made credit more accessible to businesses.
In addition, Honourable Atta invoked the Multidimensional Poverty Index as a measure of the impact of economic policies on household welfare. He referenced the reported movement of “more than 850,000 Ghanaians out of poverty in 2025” contending that the indicator offers a more meaningful assessment of living conditions than political commentary alone.
He also pointed to Ghana’s changing international investment outlook, contrasting the difficulties the country experienced during the economic crisis with an “improved investor confidence.” The MP referenced assessments by international credit rating agencies and the World Bank Country Director’s reported characterisation of Ghana as an attractive trade destination in Africa.
For Honourable Atta, the Government’s next priority must be to move from macroeconomic stabilisation towards expanding credit and supporting economic activity. He therefore defended the proposed $10 billion New Economy Programme as necessary for the next phase of the administration’s economic agenda, while insisting that the country’s progress should be judged against verifiable indicators.
Sagnarigu MP Defends Big Push Spending
Beyond his defence of the Government’s overall economic performance, the Member of Parliament for Sagnarigu, Honourable Issah Atta also challenged the Minority’s figures on payments under the Big Push programme.
He contends that the distinction is essential to understanding how multi-year infrastructure projects are financed, executed and paid for ahead of the reading of the 2027 Budget.
“Total contract values is not the same thing as annual cash appropriations. And last year, I had cause to do similar education on this platform, and let me use this opportunity to mention same.”
Honourable Issah Atta
Honourable Atta cautioned that public discussions of government expenditure must rely on credible and verifiable sources. He substantiated the claim that only GH¢6 billion has been paid from a total commitment of GH¢30 billion, insisting that Parliamentarians have a responsibility to present accurate information.
The Sagnarigu MP explained that a contract awarded under the Big Push programme represents a “multi-year investment” and that if “the Minister says that we are committed to awarding a total contract value under the Big Push program of 30 billion, it does not mean that the total amount to be executed or paid this year is 30 billion.”
Using the Tema-Aflao road project, valued at GH¢1.37 billion, as an example, he elucidated that the contract value is recognised when the agreement is signed, while actual payments depend on the certificates raised during implementation.
He also asserted that every valid Interim Payment Certificate under the Big Push programme has been honoured, challenging anyone with contrary evidence to demonstrate otherwise. He also emphasised that the projects are being financed through locally generated Internally Generated Funds, which he linked to the Government’s effort to moderate debt accumulation.
On employment, Honourable Atta declined to speculate reiterating that, “I am not one of the people that will sit here and conjour figures.” He explained that the Ghana Statistical Service’s employment dashboards would provide the appropriate basis for determining changes in job numbers, noting that a comparable published dataset covering the relevant period is necessary for an accurate assessment.
Nevertheless, he referenced an October report that placed unemployment at approximately 12.8 percent, contrasting it with the 13 to 14 percent range he attributed to the period before 2025
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