The 2026 FIFA World Cup has come to an end, and the Finance Minister, Ato Forson, says the government spent GH¢58 million.

Addressing concerns suggesting that this Government is not spending enough. Admitting to the concerns, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson listed some of the expenditure the government has made so far in support of Government programmes and sectors approved in the 2026 Budget.

Among the expenditure is the GHC 58 million spent on the World Cup

“To support Ghana’s participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, an amount of GH¢58 million has been paid”, the Finance Minister stated.

Admitting to the suggestions of government barely spending, he noted that “Nothing could be farther from the truth. Far from standing still, we have been steadily and responsibly deploying resources guided by the simple but firm principle that we spend only what we have, and we spend it wisely, with the future of our nation firmly in view”, he continued.

Other govt spending

Government has also settled GH¢5.3 billion in legacy arrears. Per reports, before today’s GH¢5.3 billion clearance, Ghana’s legacy arrears burden stood at about GH¢29.3 billion across energy, cocoa, pensions, and other ministries and agencies.

Ghana’s outstanding arrears were significantly higher, with major obligations in the energy sector, cocoa payments, and pensions. For example, COCOBOD alone reported over GH¢6 billion owed to farmers and Licensed Buying Companies earlier this year, while SSNIT arrears of GH¢1.05 billion were cleared in 2025.

Dr Forson indicated that the GH¢5.3 billion payment forms part of government’s efforts to clear the outstanding debt and promote economic activity and growth.

“To clear legacy government arrears, an amount of GH¢5.3 billion has been paid,” he told Parliament.

Dr Forson also disclosed that GH¢459 million had been paid to the Youth Employment Agency to support job creation opportunities for young people.

He added that the government had released GH¢485 million to beneficiaries of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme to support vulnerable groups across the country.

Mid-Year Fiscal Policy Review, arguing that the statement offered little in terms of practical solutions despite what he described as polished language.

Addressing Parliament on Thursday after Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson's presentation, the Effutu MP challenged several aspects of the review, particularly the government's spending figures, which he said were inconsistent.

He cited conflicting disclosures regarding funding released to the Ministry of Roads, recalling that the Deputy Roads Minister had previously announced that GH¢1.6 billion had been made available, whereas the Finance Minister now put the amount at GH¢1.1 billion.

"You see, you are suffering and you've been redundant in your various ministries. His Deputy Minister told the nation that GH¢1.6 billion was released to the Roads Minister. Today, he says only GH¢1.1 billion," Afenyo-Markin said.

According to the Minority Leader, the performance of a Finance Minister should be assessed by the effectiveness of government policies and the impact they have on citizens rather than by the amount of money spent.

"The true measure of a Finance Minister is not how much he spends," he stated.