The Parliament of Ghana has been adjourned to January 2, 2025, without the reading of the mini-budget.
This comes after the Minister of Finance, Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, failed to appear before the House to present the document for the fifth time this week.
This prompted Speaker Alban Bagbin to adjourn the sitting.
It will be recalled that the Speaker recalled the House on Monday, December 12, 2024, after it was adjourned ahead of the December 7 elections,
The mini-budget, which is required to provide a fiscal outlook for the upcoming year, was also expected to address key economic issues, including revenue mobilization, expenditure priorities, and strategies for fiscal consolidation before the next government takes office.
Speaking after the adjournment, the Minority Leader, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson said this would leave the public service uncatered for in the first quarter of the year, 2025.
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“In the spirit of a good transition, It is expected that the outgoing president, acting pursuant to article 180 of the constitution could have acted in good faith and brought before parliament a proposal for the expenditure to cater for the first quarter of the year 2025
“This was very important because the appropriation act for 2025 will not come into force on the 1st of January 2025. Sadly President Akufo Addo planned to leave the public service uncatered for in the first quarter of the year, 2025,” he lamented in disappointment.
He, however, assured the public of the incoming government’s commitment to act with dispatch to cater for expenditure for the first quarter of the year 2025.
Meanwhile, the Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, blamed the Minority for the Finance Minister’s inability to present the budget.
He continued that the expenditure in advance of appropriation will be laid by the Finance Minister when the house resumes on January 2, 2024.