The Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, is set to present the government's 2024 Annual Budget Statement and Economic Policy to Parliament on November 15, 2023, as announced by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, during a session in Accra.

The Speaker emphasized the importance of scrutinizing the budget to ensure it meets the needs of all Ghanaians.

He called for a consultative and consensus-building approach in the budget approval deliberations, noting the House's demonstrated capacity and experience in this regard.

“A few days from now, we will be hosting the Minister of Finance to present the budget statement for the 2024 financial year. We are proposing that it be done on the 15th of November. Please kindly take note of the date.

“As our oversight responsibility requires, we will have to scrutinize the budget to ensure that it serves the needs of all Ghanaians,” adding that “I believe this house will adopt a consultative and consensus-building approach throughout this process. We have demonstrated enough capacity and experience in budget approval deliberations and this will be no different,” he stated.

Mr. Bagbin also stressed the urgency of passing the budget bill, enabling Parliament to engage technical personnel to comply with recent legislations.

In the meantime, the Finance Minister has acknowledged the Akosombo Dam spillage's impact and indicated that long-term relief measures for the affected communities would be considered in the 2024 budget. He mentioned that while some relief items had already been provided, more assistance would be included in next year's budget to address the situation effectively.

“We have mobilized a few things that we would like to share but I think we are also in the budget season and therefore it will not just be numbers that we are working on but true feelings in the field and therefore the need to look at these social interventions in a real way. We will certainly give this an expression immediately and also in the budget,” he stated.