Nat’l Tymes News Desk
THE RULING National Democratic Congress (NDC) government yesterday firmly drew a line between Ghana’s troubled past and its recovering present as the Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, presented the 2026 Budget Statement to Parliament.
With a message of discipline, renewal and hope, the government declared that President John Dramani Mahama is “resetting Ghana’s economy after eight painful years of NPP misrule.”
Presenting the Budget under the theme “Resetting for Growth, Jobs, and Economic Transformation,” Dr. Ato Forson said the Mahama administration inherited “an economy in distress, weighed down by debt, weakened by mismanagement, and stripped of confidence.”
According to him, the 2025 Budget was only the beginning, but the 2026 Budget shows that the NDC government is delivering on its promise to rebuild the country step by step.
He reminded Parliament that he was presenting the Budget under the authority of President Mahama and in line with Ghana’s laws and Constitution. He also placed before the House key statutory reports and several new Bills—including the Value for Money Bill, the VAT Amendment Bill, the Repeal of the COVID-19 Levy, and a request to implement an AI-powered customs system to boost revenue.
The Finance Minister stressed that Ghana is rising again because the NDC chose “the harder but higher road” to clean up the mess left by the previous administration.
He said fiscal discipline and respect for the public purse are now the pillars of the country’s progress. “Never again,” he said, “must Ghana allow waste and recklessness to define the management of the people’s money.”
The Minister told Parliament that after just one year of firm policies, the economy has started to stabilise. Inflation is down, the cedi is stronger, and investor confidence—which collapsed under the NPP—has begun to return. “Ghana’s economy is breathing again,” he declared, saying the turnaround is strong proof that President Mahama’s Reset Agenda is working.
He described the Budget as a symbol of national rebirth, crafted for a country that has endured hardship with patience and dignity. The Minister said ordinary Ghanaians suffered greatly from “eight years of deception and economic pain,” but the Mahama government is determined to rebuild an economy that works for the people— not just for the well-connected few.
Dr. Ato Forson also praised Organized Labour and Ghanaian workers for standing with the government during this recovery period. He announced that government and labour groups have already agreed on the National Minimum Wage and Base Pay for 2026, a sign of unity and shared purpose.
The Minister’s message to Parliament was clear: the 2026 Budget is not just numbers—it is a bold declaration that Ghana is being reset, restored and rebuilt under the steady leadership of President John Dramani Mahama.
Political analysts say the Budget signals a new chapter and sends a strong message that the NDC government is committed to undoing years of economic decline and placing Ghana on a path of real growth, jobs and transformation.
Source: Nationaltymes.com
