Isaac Adongo, the deputy ranking member on the finance committee of parliament, has referred to the presentation of the mid-year review of the Government’s Budget statement, economic policy, and supplementary estimates for the 2023 Financial Year by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta on Monday, July 31, 2023, as a “funeral dirge.”
According to his statement, the Parliamentarians who loudly said ‘Yeah Yeah’ were dozing off due to their lack of interest in the budget, which they perceived as a mournful composition.
“We all listened to the funeral dirge… At some point, I had to wake up and ask them to wake up from sleep and listen to the man. So, when they finally got up and said, ‘Yeah, Yeah’, they were sleeping. So, I was surprised when they suddenly woke up, they were shouting when they hadn’t heard the man speaking,” Adongo said.
Per the requirements of the Public Financial Management Act 2016, the Minister of Finance is required to provide a presentation on the Economic Policy of the Government of Ghana at midyear.
During the delivery of the budget statement, Ken Ofori-Atta acknowledged that Ghana has been making modest progress in its efforts to revitalize the economy, following a period of significant economic challenges in 2022.
He praised the tremendous economic growth that has taken place in Ghana since the country’s decision to seek a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He assured lawmakers that the country was on the right track and was determined to stay there.
Ken Ofori-Atta has been harshly criticized by the minority group in Parliament. Cassiel Ato Forson, leader of the minority party, argued that the data and facts shown thus far demonstrate that he has really made Ghanaians’ lives worse.
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