Former Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, Abena Osei-Asare, has downplayed concerns over the government’s decision to uncap statutory funds to finance the Free SHS policy, stating that it is not a novel practice.
Speaking at a press conference organized by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) on the 2025 Budget Statement, she emphasized that such funding mechanisms had been used in the past and should not be a source of controversy.
She further urged the government to come up with initiatives to support the private sector if you want to cut expenditure, highlighting the need for policies that drive economic growth rather than just cost-cutting measures.
“If you want to rationalize expenditure, give that heavy lifting to the private sector. Come up with initiatives that will support the private sector to take up employment, grow the industries and take that burden off government,” she urged.
Meanwhile, former Finance Minister Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam has fiercely criticized the 2025 Budget Statement and Economic Policy, describing it as a misleading document aimed at tarnishing the NPP’s economic record.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, March 13, Dr. Amin Adam accused Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson of deliberately manipulating economic data to portray the NPP government in a negative light. He argued that the figures presented were erroneous and did not reflect the economic realities under the NPP administration.
“The 2025 budget was a hatchet job… designed to confirm a rehearsed narrative by putting data to unfounded claims,” he asserted.
Dr. Amin Adam further refuted claims by Dr. Ato Forson that the previous NPP administration had mismanaged the economy through excessive borrowing and worsening debt levels. According to him, “an economy with such strong revenue performance and expenditure controls cannot produce the kind of elevated fiscal outturns the Minister announced. We see a lot of contradictions.”
His remarks come just days after Dr. Ato Forson presented the 2025 Budget Statement to Parliament on March 11, where he criticized the NPP’s fiscal performance. The debate over the budget continues to intensify as both parties defend their economic track records.
