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21st October 2025 8:54:26 AM
6 mins readBy: Phoebe Martekie Doku
The Third Meeting of the First Session of the Ninth Parliament kicks off today, Tuesday, October 21, 2025, as Members of Parliament (MPs) return to session.
During this session, one of the key agenda items will be the 2026 Budget Statement and Economic Policy, which is expected in mid-November.
Member of Parliament-elect for Akwatia, and Professor Alidu Seidu, MP-elect for Tamale Central, are also expected to be sworn in. Parliament was initially scheduled to resume sitting on October 14 after the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin Sumana, announced via an official statement an indefinite suspension of Parliament.
The statement cited “circumstances beyond control” without elaboration, sparking speculation among MPs and the public. The statement continued that the turnaround of events was in accordance with Order 58 of the Standing Orders of Parliament.
Order 58 of the Standing Orders of Ghana’s Parliament empowers the Speaker to issue a formal notice of a parliamentary meeting. The exact wording is:
“The Speaker shall give notice of a Meeting of Parliament by causing a notice to be published in the Gazette and in such other manner as the Speaker may determine.”
Meanwhile, this final session of the year is expected to be intense, with Parliament set to debate and approve the 2026 Budget, address pending bills, including environmental and governance legislation, and also review committee reports on finance, infrastructure, and national policy.
Meanwhile, Members of Parliament (MPs) were expected to reconvene in October, following their recess for the Second Meeting of the First Session of the Ninth Parliament of the Fourth Republic.
This information was made known by the First Deputy Speaker, Honourable Bernard Ahiafor, on Friday, July 31. The legislators on Tuesday, May 17, began their official work following a recess for Easter celebrations last year.
Parliament, from May to August this year, convened a total of 43 sittings; during this period, the legislative body passed several key bills, endorsed certain proposals, and debated several matters of national importance.
On 24th July, Parliament wrapped up its debate on the Mid-Year Review Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government of Ghana for the 2025 financial year, which was presented by Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson.
In the course of the debate, the Deputy Majority Leader and Member of Parliament (MP) for Cape Coast South, George Kweku Ricketts-Hagan, acknowledged the government's efforts while describing the budget's content as commendable.
According to him, Ghana now fully controls its gold resources. This, he described as a major and transformative achievement for the country.
In his submission on the floor of the House, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin contested the government’s celebratory claims regarding the performance of the local currency. He added that “2022 was a storm for the cedi, but I dare argue, despite all of this, the NPP government stabilized the cedi in 2023.”
Also from the Minority side, Hon. Michael Kwesi Aidoo, Member of Parliament for Oforikrom, criticized the incumbent government for failing to address the real concerns of Ghanaians despite its claims of restoring the value of the cedi.
He stressed, “Whenever you say anything about the issues of the economy, our colleagues will refer you to the dollar, that the dollar has reduced. Mr. Speaker, as I speak to you today, it has not reflected in our pockets.” To him, the Mid-Year Budget Review had nothing new except repetition of words.
Also from the Minority Caucus, Member of Parliament for Takoradi, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, pushed back against the government’s assertion that its homegrown policies are fueling economic growth.
He argued that the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration's policies have driven growth in agriculture and fisheries, hence boosting Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
On Thursday, July 24, Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson delivered to Parliament the 2025 Mid-Year Budget Review. This was in accordance with Section 28 of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921), to inform the country on its economic performance and fiscal strategy halfway through the year.
In his delivery, the sector minister noted that in less than 200 days the incumbent government has brought back clarity, certainty, stability, and purpose to the country's economic policy direction. Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson revealed that in the first six months of the year, the government’s expenditure stood at GH¢109.7 billion, equivalent to 7.8% of the GDP.
He noted that the current expenditure was 14.3% below the programmed amount of GH¢128.0 billion, equivalent to 9.1% of GDP. According to the sector minister, this reflects the government’s strong expenditure control.
During the presentation of the 2025 budget statement, the minister noted that total expenditures (commitment) for 2025 have been programmed at GH¢270.9 billion, down from GH¢279.2 billion in 2024.
Primary expenditure on a commitment basis (expenditures net of interest payments) is projected at GH¢206.8 billion in 2025 (14.8% of GDP), presenting a significant decline from 19.8% of GDP in 2024 and lower than the 2023 level of 15.6% of GDP.
Providing a breakdown of the total expenditure in six months, the minister said that primary expenditure, or non-interest expenditures on a commitment basis, amounted to GH¢84.3 billion, or 6.0% of GDP. This is an improvement of about GH¢13.3 billion over the target of GH¢97.5 billion, which is 7.0% of GDP.The Finance Minister noted that although Ghana is relying on the domestic market for financing, “We have borrowed less than we planned, signifying strong expenditure control and fiscal discipline.”
Presently, the government is revising both revenue and expenditure projections to reflect the impact of the additional revenue from the Energy Sector Levies (Amendment) Act, 2025 (Act 1141).
Total expenditure on a commitment basis has been revised downward to GH¢269.5 billion from the original budget projection of GH¢270.9 billion. However, primary expenditure has been revised upwards to GH¢209.6 billion from the original budget projection of GH¢206.8 billion.
Total revenue and grants have been revised upwards from the 2025 budget target of GH¢227.1 billion to GH¢229.9 billion, or from 16.2% of GDP to 16.4% of GDP, representing a nominal increase of 1.3%. “The additional revenue of GH¢2.9 billion will come from the increase in revenues from the amendment to the Energy Sector Levies Act,” the minister added.
Interest payments have been revised downwards by GH¢4.3 billion, from the original budget projection of GH¢64.1 billion to GH¢59.9 billion. Domestic interest, on the other hand, has been revised downward by GH¢5.1 billion, mainly on account of gains from the reduction in the treasury bill rates as a result of the implementation of our prudent debt management policies.
However, external interest payments have been revised upward by GH¢795 million to make additional provision for debt service due on post-cut-off date disbursements made by our bilateral creditors since 2023. Energy sector payments have also been revised upwards by GH¢2.9 billion to provision for fuel purchases for power generation.
In June, Parliament gave the nod to the reinstatement of July 1 as a statutory public holiday following the amendment of the Public Holidays and Commemorative Days (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which amends Act 601.
The amended Act grants an additional holiday for the Muslim community, Shaqq Day, a statutory public holiday to be observed the day after Eid-ul-Fitr. In the same vein, August 4 has been removed from the list of public holidays as Founders' Day, and instead, September 21 will now be observed as Founders' Day.
In the same period, Parliament vetted and approved seven (7) justices of the Supreme Court nominated by President John Dramani Mahama.
Parliament, before its recent recess, passed the following bills: the Fisheries and Aquaculture Bill 2025, the University for Development Studies Bill 2025, the Ghana Medical Trust Fund Bill 2025, also known as MahamaCares, and the Social Protection Bill 2025.
The first two bills were approved by the House on July 19. Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Hon. Emelia Arthur was present in Parliament for the approval of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Bill 2025.
The sector minister revealed to the House that the bill has been revised to reflect Ghana’s commitment to the Blue Economy agenda by harnessing marine and aquatic resources sustainably to support economic growth, social inclusion, food security, and environmental protection.
Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Food, Agriculture, and Cocoa Affairs, Hon. Jasaw Seidu Godfred, while presenting the committee’s report, noted that the sustainable management, utilization, and exploitation of the fisheries and aquaculture resources require the existence of a robust legal framework that governs fishing activities, regulates resource extraction, and ensures compliance with international and national environmental standards.
He indicated that the fisheries and aquaculture sectors contribute significantly to national development in areas such as job and wealth creation, poverty reduction, gross domestic product contribution, and foreign exchange.
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