The Parliament of Ghana missed its Friday, December 20 deadline for the passage of the Expenditure in Advance of Appropriation for January to March 2025 as Finance Minister, Mohammed Amin Adam (MP, Karaga), failed to present the said document this week as anticipated. The presentation which is a necessary constitutional imperative provides for the government to submit a statement of account to Parliament for approval before the end of the financial year especially at a time when a new administration is due to take office on 8th January, 2025. The presentation is done in order for government services to continue irrespective of the exchange of power.

The Government of Ghana is asking for GH¢68 billion for January to March 2025 until the incoming administration prepares a full budget later in the year for approval. However, on Wednesday, President Akufo-Addo approved the budget estimates for the Judiciary and Judicial Service, Audit Service, as well as Parliament and the Parliamentary Service. Even though the Presidency has given a green light on those requests, they are yet to be formally presented to the House for consideration. The Judiciary is asking for a sum of GH¢276,499,903 which comprises wages and salaries, capital expenditure and goods and services for the financial year ending 31st December 2025; a sum of GH¢450,578,877.29 is being sought for the Parliament of Ghana while the Audit Service is to get GH¢217,342,587 for its activities in 2025 if approved. In an unprecedented fashion, the presentation of the expenditure in advance of appropriation (mini-budget) has generated a heated debate amongst legislators in the past couple of days with the minority insisting that should be the only business for the consideration of the House in the Seventh meeting of the Fourth Session but some of their colleagues in the majority side of the aisle have argued that until the minority agrees for parliament to approve import waivers and the presidential nominees for the Supreme Court they would not cooperate for the mini-budget to be taken.

The back-and-forth caused the Speaker Alban Bagbin to convene a meeting for both caucus leaders in a bid to create consensus with respect to the business that Parliament should focus on completing before it rises for the Yuletide today. However, at Friday’s sitting, the Speaker announced to the House that leadership could not agree on what business takes priority over the other therefore parliament would be adjourned until Thursday, 2nd January 2025. The only business that took place at the Friday sitting was correction of votes and proceedings and the official record. As the dissolution of the Eighth Parliament fast approaches, the House will reconvene in the New Year to pass the mini-budget or risk a shutdown of government services as a new administration takes office.

Both caucuses continue to trade accusation among each other with the majority caucus and its leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin (MP, Effutu) describing his colleagues opposite as ‘lawless’ who are frustrating government business. According to him, as leader of government business he has tabled crucial business such as the Free Secondary Education Bill, Appointments Committee report on the president’s nominees for Justices of the Supreme Court, a $250 million World Bank facility for the Ghana Financial Stability Project but they were rejected by the minority frontbench who have insisted on taking just the mini-budget. According to Mr. Afenyo-Markins, “the Finance Minister was ready as far back as November” but the confusion in October over which side was majority affected the presentation of the mini-budget. He however indicated his side’s readiness to be available whenever the Speaker summons Parliament.

For the Minority Leader Cassiel Ato Forson (MP, Ajumako/Enyan/Essiam), the outgoing NPP administration has failed to comply with the provisions of Article 180 in the Constitution, 1992, leaving public and civil servants ‘uncatered for’ as the current Appropriation Act expires at the end of the year with a new one expected to take effect on 1st January 2025. While urging calm, he assured the public the new administration will therefore pass the appropriation bill when it takes office on January 7th.

“However, let me give assurance to the people of Ghana and all stakeholders that the NDC government that will take office on the 7th of January 2025 will act with dispatch to cater for expenditure for the first quarter for the year 2025. There is no cause for alarm, ladies and gentlemen, even though there will be no finance minister on the 7th of January 2025, the vice president can present to this House the expenditure in advance of appropriation anytime after swearing in on the 7th of January 2025, and this House will be properly constituted to expedite approval of the same expenditure in advance of appropriation.”, He said