Member of Parliament for Ofoase-Ayirebi and former Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has proposed a private bill aimed at overhauling Ghana's Financial Management Act.

The MP said too many Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) are currently receiving funds for projects that are not in line with national priorities.

“A number of ministries, departments, and agencies are not going through the required process of NDPC certification. That is a loophole in the law that I seek to block with this amendment,” he said.

The proposed legislation by the former Minister on Tuesday aims to prevent government MDAs from accessing public funds if their policies and programs have not been certified by the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC).

It also seeks to bar the Minister for Finance from releasing funds to MDAs that have not submitted their development plans for NDPC approval.

The bill further proposes restrictions on using Internally Generated Funds (IGF) for initiatives not aligned with Ghana's development priorities.

Additionally, it makes it a criminal offence for any official to authorize or support spending on programs without NDPC approval.

If the legislation is passed, it will also introduce three key clauses that are designed to tighten Ghana’s public spending architecture and align all government programs with the country’s official development framework.

“What I’m doing is blocking that hole,” Oppong Nkrumah explained. “If you don’t certify your plans and we still allow you to spend money building new headquarters or starting new projects, then you are on a frolic of your own. That must stop,” the MP stated.

He noted that the MDAs often argue the IGF is excluded from regulations because they consider it "their own money," but stressed that such funds remain public resources.

“Before you collect that money, the Fees and Charges Act has to be passed. That makes it public money. Its use must be in consonance with the national development plan,” he said.

The bill further establishes an offence for anyone who approves or enables spending without prior NDPC approval, linking the violation to penalties outlined in Section 98 of the existing Public Financial Management Act.

Responding to the concerns that the measure could create excessive bureaucracy, Oppong Nkrumah justified the importance of enforcing robust procedures.

“Bureaucracy is important because it compels people to follow laid-down rules. It ensures that we’re all going in a direction that we’ve collectively agreed on,” he said.

He observed that monitoring and evaluation of development plans remain weak and are largely carried out on an adhoc basis.

He hinted at the possibility of introducing additional legislative reforms to amend the National Development Planning (System) Act, Act 480, to strengthen Ghana's planning framework.

Mr Oppong Nkrumah also expressed confidence that the bill would gain bipartisan support, including backing from the government and the Majority side of Parliament.

“The matter of protecting the public purse is a matter of common interest. This government has made strong arguments about why it wants to do so, and I believe they should see this as something that complements their efforts,” he said.

However, the bill is scheduled to be formally presented to Parliament in the coming weeks.