The 2025 Budget Statement presented by Finance Minister Dr. Ato Forson has sparked heated debate in Parliament, with Minority Leader Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin dismissing it as an “Azar budget”—a term widely understood in Ghana as fraudulent or deceptive.
“This is an ‘Azaa’ budget. We won’t allow Ghanaians to be deceived,” Afenyo-Markin declared.
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He accused the Government of merely repackaging old social intervention programmes while failing to address real issues, particularly in the road sector.
According to him, several road projects are ongoing without proper approvals or commencement certificates.
On the other hand, Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga strongly defended the budget, describing it as a pro-poor policy document that directly benefits the ordinary Ghanaian.
“This budget is for the Makola women, the Assemblymen, and the girls. By the time we are done implementing it, the elephant will be reduced to a little size,” Ayariga stated, suggesting that the policies outlined would weaken the opposition.
The 2025 budget introduced several key initiatives, including Free sanitary pads for schoolgirls to address menstrual health challenges, Increased funding for Free SHS, with GHS 3.5 billion allocated, boost in school feeding, raising per-child meal allocation from GHS 1.50 to GHS 2.00, the establishment of the Ghana Gold Board to stabilize the economy, a 24-hour economy policy aimed at boosting productivity and job creation amongst others.
Despite these initiatives, the Minority insists the budget lacks credibility and fails to properly outline financing strategies. The debate over its approval is expected to be intense in the coming weeks.
ALSO READ: Gov’t Allocates GHS 292.4 Million for Free Sanitary Pads to Boost Girls’ Education
Ghana|Atinkaonline.com|Ebenezer Madugu