Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have urged the government to speed up the disbursement of funds earmarked for climate action, gender-responsive initiatives and environmental protection.
Kasa Initiative Ghana and ABANTU for Development, conveners of the Kasa Initiative’s Gender and Climate Platform, said increased allocations in the 2026 Budget would have little impact if the money was not released on time and properly accounted for.
The organisations made the call after reviewing the 2026 Mid-Year Fiscal Policy Review presented to Parliament in July. They identified significant gaps between budgetary allocations and actual releases for several programmes.
According to the CSOs, the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme had received GH¢485 million out of its GH¢1.1 billion allocation by June, representing about 44%.
The Ghana School Feeding Programme was similarly allocated GH¢1.98 billion but had received GH¢877 million, also about 44%. The programme currently supports more than 4.5 million pupils and over 34,000 caterers and cooks.
The groups expressed particular concern about funding for the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS). Only GH¢16 million, or 11% of its GH¢150 million allocation, had been released by June, despite intensified operations against illegal mining.
They said NAIMOS had conducted 200 intelligence-led operations, resulting in 207 arrests and the seizure or destruction of 168 excavators and 2,800 Chanfang platforms.
The organisations also criticised delays in accessing emergency funds following the June 2026 floods in Greater Accra.
Although Parliament approved GH¢350 million from the Contingency Fund, the money could not be accessed because of a court garnishee order.
Government subsequently redirected GH¢226 million from the Ministry of Works, Housing and Water Resources.
They are calling for stronger budget transparency, climate and gender budget tagging, public expenditure tracking and faster releases to frontline environmental agencies.
The CSOs also want the Contingency Fund protected from legal encumbrances to ensure timely responses to future emergencies.
