The Chairman of Parliament’s Economy and Development Committee, Eric Afful, has criticised a proposed private member’s bill by the Ranking Member of the committee, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, describing the initiative as unnecessary and politically motivated.
Mr. Afful said the John Dramani Mahama administration is being unfairly targeted by the proposed legislation, insisting that the government is already operating within established financial regulations governing public expenditure.
His comments follow media reports indicating that the Ofoase-Ayirebi Member of Parliament is sponsoring a private member’s bill aimed at strengthening fiscal discipline and preventing budget overruns.
The proposed legislation according to the sponsor seeks to restrict the Ministry of Finance from funding projects that are not captured in the approved national development framework.
However, Mr. Afful argued that existing laws already provide adequate safeguards against excessive public spending, making the proposed bill redundant.
He stated that the government is strictly complying with the Public Financial Management framework and other fiscal regulations in managing the country’s limited resources.
According to him, the current administration has demonstrated fiscal prudence, citing improved budget deficit figures as evidence of responsible economic management.
“The government under President Mahama and the Finance Minister, Dr Casiel Ato Baah Forson is not spending outside the budget. We are strictly adhering to the Public Financial Management Act, the Public Financial Administration framework and the Fiscal Responsibility Act,” he said.
Mr. Afful maintained that the proposed legislation does not add value to Ghana’s fiscal governance architecture and questioned what new provisions the bill would introduce beyond existing laws regulating public expenditure.
He also criticised what he described as attempts to politicise economic management, urging the media to be cautious in amplifying the partisan commentary on national economic issues.
The committee chairman further pointed to improvements in the country’s fiscal performance, noting that the 2025 fiscal year recorded a deficit of 1.1 percent on a cash basis and 3.1 percent on a commitment basis, compared with 7.9 percent recorded in 2024.
Hel questioned the timing of the initiative, arguing that concerns about budget overruns were more pronounced under the previous administration in which Mr. Oppong Nkrumah served as a minister.
