PHOTO: Minority Leader, Alex Afenyo-Markin
The Finance Ministry has pushed back against claims made by the Minority Leader, Alex Afenyo-Markin, at the Post Budget Workshop in Parliament, stating that his assertion regarding the 2025 agriculture budget allocation was inaccurate.
During the workshop, Afenyo-Markin alleged that the Finance Minister had only allocated GHC924 million to agriculture, significantly lower than the GHC1.5 billion stated in the 2025 Budget Statement and Economic Policy. However, official budget figures released by the government contradict this claim.
According to the Finance Ministry, the total allocation to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture stands at GHC2.9 billion, with the expenditure breakdown as follows:
• GHC226.6 million for compensation expenditure;
• GHC924.39 million is dedicated to initiatives and priorities under agriculture, including Nkoko Nkitinkiti and Feed Ghana. This comprises GHC105 million in capital expenditure (CAPEX) and GHC819.39 million in goods and services;
• GHC905 million in CAPEX, excluding the GHC105 million under initiatives and priorities;
• GHC25.39 million was allocated to goods and services expenditure for headquarters and agencies.
Further analysis shows that GHC1.58 billion of the budget is to be funded by the Government of Ghana (GoG), while GHC29.66 million is expected from Internally Generated Funds (IGF). Additionally, GHC1.299 billion will come from foreign loans and grants, bringing the total budget allocation well above the figure quoted by Afenyo-Markin.
The Finance Ministry has described the Minority Leader’s statement as misleading, urging Parliament and the public to rely on official figures rather than unverified claims. The rebuttal underscores the broader political debate over budget transparency and the credibility of economic projections as the country navigates its fiscal challenges.
With the 2025 budget now under scrutiny, stakeholders, including policymakers and industry players, will be watching closely to see how funds allocated to the agricultural sector are disbursed and whether the government meets its commitments to boost food production and support farmers nationwide.
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