Minority requests explanation for GH₵1 billion budgetary allotment to the Presidency

The Parliamentary Minority has strongly criticized the budget allocations for the Office of the President and the Chief of Staff Secretariat in the 2024 budget, denouncing what they perceive as excessive increases.

Highlighting a 100% surge in the President’s office budget, reaching over 1 billion cedis, and a 277 million cedis allocation for the Chief of Staff’s office, Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson demanded a thorough explanation for these “exponential increases.”

“The budget for the Office of the President is being raised by over 100 per cent from 2023 to 2024. What specific activities are planned for 2024? Are these allocations linked to upcoming elections? The Office of the Presidency alone is budgeting 450 million cedis for goods and services,” Dr. Ato Forson expressed.

He further revealed that the budget allotted to the Office of the President alone amounts to 1 billion and 93 million Ghana cedis for the year 2024. Emphasizing the prevailing national crisis, he urged caution in expenditure.

The Minority additionally criticized the government’s establishment of Development Authorities such as the Coastal Development Authority (CODA), deeming them “a waste of resources” and a “pretext to amass resources for wrongful spending.” They advocated for the prohibition of these authorities, asserting their failure to fulfill their mandates.

Governs Agbodza, the Minority Chief Whip, spearheaded the opposition against these authorities, characterizing them as mere channels for diverting funds away from crucial sectors.