'This is the first Mid-Year Review that failed to account for programme execution' — Oppong Nkrumah

The Member of Parliament for Ofoase Ayirebi and Ranking Member on Parliament's Economy and Development Committee, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has criticised the 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review.

The lawmaker argued that Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson failed to account for the implementation of the government's economic programme.

Contributing to the debate on the Mid-Year Budget Review in Parliament on Tuesday, July 28, the former Information Minister said the review should have outlined the extent to which the government's economic plans for the year had been executed.

He stressed that Section 28 of the Public Financial Management Act requires the Finance Minister to use the Mid-Year Budget Review to report on the progress of the annual economic programme.

"Section 28 of the Public Financial Management Act, which makes statutory the presentation of the Mid-Year Review, is quite clear. It is a platform for the minister to account for how much of the economic programme of the year has been executed and how much has not been executed," said the MP.

Oppong Nkrumah also challenged claims by government communicators that the current review was the first in which a Finance Minister did not seek additional resources through a supplementary budget.

According to him, the more significant issue was the Minister's failure to provide Parliament and the public with details on the implementation status of the government's economic programme.

"This is not the first time a Finance Minister has presented a Mid-Year Review and has not requested for more resources. In fact, what has happened for the first time is that this is the first time a Finance Minister has presented a Mid-Year Review and has not been able to tell the country how much of the economic programme has been executed, and how much has not been executed," he asserted.

The Ofoase Ayirebi MP urged the government to ensure future Mid-Year Budget Reviews fully comply with the requirements of the Public Financial Management Act by providing a comprehensive account of the implementation of the country's economic programme.