Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo‑Markin denounced the 2027 Budget on Thursday, November 12, calling the government a “sloganeering government” and accusing it of failing to turn economic stability into jobs and better living standards for Ghanaians. He said the administration had focused on presenting favourable economic data and its New Economy agenda without showing how these would tackle unemployment and the cost of living.
After Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson delivered the Budget Statement and Economic Policy to Parliament, Afenyo‑Markin addressed journalists, stating that Ghanaians are more concerned about employment opportunities than government slogans and economic figures. “Let Ghanaians know that this NDC government is a sloganeering government. What they came to do was to subject us to another round of slogans and no jobs,” he said. “You cannot rebrand unemployment. They cannot slogan away the cost of living.”
The Minority Leader acknowledged the Finance Minister’s announcement that the government was ready to pay bondholders under the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP), describing it as good news. However, he questioned the government’s ability to meet other outstanding financial obligations, including payments to the Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSAG), teachers and nurses, and funding for recruitment. “They claim that they have money to pay domestic debt exchange programme bondholders, those whose savings were postponed and whose payments were deferred. They say they have money to pay. That is good news. We welcome that,” he said. “But the question is: where is the money to pay JUSAG, the money to pay teachers, the money to pay nurses, and the money to recruit?”
Mr Afenyo‑Markin further accused the government of failing to provide clear figures on the number of jobs created, arguing that the budget did not offer enough evidence of tangible improvements in employment. “They haven’t been able to tell us how many jobs they have created. Ghanaians want jobs, jobs, jobs. We are not interested in data. We are not interested in a paper economy. We are not interested in what they call a New Economy,” he stated.
He also questioned the government’s approach to public spending, arguing that economic data alone would not improve citizens’ lives if it was not accompanied by actual expenditure and job creation. The Minority Leader added that the budget offered little hope, claiming that even the demeanour of some government MPs and ministers during the presentation reflected low morale. He accused the NDC government of failing to fulfil promises made to women and traders, particularly its commitment to establish a new bank to provide them with loans to support their businesses. Mr Afenyo‑Markin said the government’s failure to deliver on its campaign promises, including the 24‑hour economy initiative, had vindicated the Minority’s earlier criticism of the administration.
