The Minority Caucus in Parliament has strongly criticized the 2025 Budget and Economic Policy Statement, labeling it an “Azaa Budget”—a term meaning a scam—arguing that it fails to provide hope or inspiration for the Ghanaian youth.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin expressed disappointment over the budget presented by Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson.
He described it as a document filled with complaints and lamentations, similar to the President’s recent State of the Nation Address.
Afenyo-Markin particularly questioned why a key policy like the 24-hour economy, which was a major campaign promise in the 2024 elections, was conspicuously missing from the budget.
He noted that many young Ghanaians had been eagerly awaiting details on how the policy would transform the economy and create jobs, only to be told that the specifics were not yet ready.
“The budget provides no hope or inspiration. It is merely a repetition of existing social intervention programs,” the Minority Leader asserted.
Contradictions in economic growth projections
The Minority Leader also raised concerns over what he described as contradictions in the government’s economic narrative.
He questioned how the current administration could claim to have inherited an economy that was in crisis and “criminally mismanaged” under the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, yet still record a 5.7% GDP growth in 2024, as reported by the Ghana Statistical Service.
“The economy grew by 5.7% in 2024 with four months of import cover. Now, under Mahama’s so-called reset, they are projecting only 4% growth and three months of import cover,” Afenyo-Markin stated.
Expectations from the Budget
The 2025 Budget was presented just a week after a government-organized economic dialogue, which brought together leading economic minds and key stakeholders to discuss solutions to Ghana’s economic challenges.
The budget was expected to provide a clear roadmap for macroeconomic stability, governance reforms, infrastructure development, and policies to boost productivity and economic growth.
However, with the Minority’s strong reservations about its direction and impact, the debate over the budget’s effectiveness is set to intensify in the coming days.
