The Minority in Parliament is demanding an explanation for the substantial increase in budgetary allocations to the Office of the President and the Chief of Staff Secretariat, as outlined in the 2024 budget.
Expressing concern over a 100% surge in the President’s office budget to over 1 billion cedis and a 277 million cedis allocation for the Chief of Staff’s office, Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson sought justification for these “exponential increases.”
Highlighting the urgency for fiscal prudence amid the country’s crisis, Dr. Ato Forson questioned the specific purposes behind the significant budgetary increments.
“The Office of the President, in particular, their budget is being increased by over 100 per cent, from 2023 to 2024 so what exactly are they going to do in 2024. Is it the elections; is that the reason they have budgeted so much? The office of the presidency alone, their goods and services alone is 450 million cedis.
“The budget they have allocated to the Office of the President alone is 1 billion and 93 million Ghana cedis for the year 2024. Mr Speaker, all of us agree that the country is in a crisis and there is a need for us to be careful about how we spend money.”
Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson
The Minority further criticized the creation of Development Authorities, including the Coastal Development Authority (CODA), labeling them as “a waste of resources” and a means to “amass resources for wrongful spending.” They called for the outlawing of these authorities, contending that they have failed to fulfill their mandates, serving only as channels for diverting funds from crucial areas.
In Ghana’s Fourth Republic, executive expenses have become a subject of scrutiny, especially with the revelation of significant increases in budgetary allocations for the Office of the President and the Chief of Staff Secretariat in the 2024 budget. The Minority in Parliament has raised concerns over a 100% rise in the President’s office budget to over 1 billion cedis, urging a transparent justification for these considerable increments. This heightened focus on executive expenses reflects a broader trend of accountability and fiscal responsibility in governance.
The demand for clarity on how allocated funds will be utilized aligns with the prevailing economic challenges facing the country. Calls for fiscal prudence underscore the need for careful scrutiny of executive expenditures to ensure that public resources are allocated judiciously and effectively. As Ghana navigates complex economic conditions, the public discourse on executive expenses serves as a vital component of democratic oversight, promoting transparency and accountability in the management of public finances.
President Defends Independence Of OSP
In a separate development, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has asserted that he has not interfered in the investigation involving former Sanitation and Water Resources Minister, Cecilia Abena Dappah.
Emphasizing the independence of the Special Prosecutor’s work, President Akufo-Addo highlighted the government’s commitment to subjecting officials to investigations, with no evidence of executive intervention.
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
“No evidence or allegation has been forthcoming that the executive has made any attempt to influence the outcome of any of these investigations. The latest episode involving the former Minister for Sanitation, the Honourable Cecilia Abena Dapaah, is evident for all to see. I am not aware of any government in the Fourth Republic subjecting so many of its officials to such investigations and enquiries.
“At the same time, several officials in the previous Mahama administration such as William Matthew Tetteh Tevi, Alhaji Salifu Osman, and Eugene Baffour Bonney in the $ 4 million NCA’s scandal have been tried and convicted of various corruption-related offences and several other including Dr Stephen Opuni, the former CEO of COCOBOD and the Honourable Cassiel Ato Forson, the Minority Leader are standing trial as we speak.”
