Parliament Saturday commenced a three-day post-budget workshop at the Parliament House in Accra, to equip Members of Parliament (MPs) with the necessary tools and knowledge to effectively scrutinize and analyze the 2025 Budget Statement and Economic Policy.
Speaker of Parliament Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, emphasized the importance of the national budget, stating that, “The national budget is the most important policy instrument of any government, as it declares government policy priorities and provides the roadmap for the direction of national development.”
He noted that the budget was a technical and complex document, making it challenging for citizens and MPs to fully appreciate its implications.
The Speaker stressed that the workshop aimed to ensure that MPs were better positioned to critique the 2025 budget statement, ask the right questions, assess trade-offs, and understand the potential long-term effects of policy choices.
He urged MPs to participate actively, ask questions, and share thoughts.
Voice of Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin
On his part, Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Baah Forson described the workshop as an essential platform for assessing the budget ahead of its approval.
He reiterated that the 2025 budget was designed to “reset the Ghanaian economy for the people of Ghana.”
The annual post-budget workshop had the primary goal of equipping MPs and Senior Officers of the Parliamentary Service with the skills required for scrutinizing the Budget and Economic Policy of the Executive arm of government for the 2025 fiscal year.
It also had the objective of providing MPs with insight into the budget, interrogating to provide an effective oversight role that articulated the government’s policies and programs.
The key expected outcomes would be quality deliberations of the statement on the floor of the House in the ensuing day’s relevant legislation and the ultimate Appropriation Act for the 2025 financial year.
It featured plenary sessions and break-out sessions, covering topics such as the macroeconomic framework, sector-specific details, and taxation and revenue mobilization strategies.
Experts led discussions on key areas, including the IMF Programme, public sector debt management, and policy objectives and targets.
It also enriched Parliamentary scrutiny of the 2025 Budget Statement and Economic Policy, reinforcing Ghana’s commitment to accountable and responsible governance.
While acknowledging the country’s economic challenges, Dr. Forson assured MPs that the government had introduced innovative strategies to address them.
He said: “We recognize that our economy is in crisis, but more importantly, we have put in place innovative strategies and interventions to resolve these challenges.”
The 2025 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government was presented to Parliament by Dr. Forson, the Minister of Finance on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, on the theme: “Resetting Ghana for the Economy We Want.
Voice Of Dr. Cassiel Ato Baah Forson
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