Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Finance Committee, Dr Stephen Amoah, called on Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson to be firm in decisions on public spending and resist pressure to release funds without regard for the country’s economic stability.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Friday, November 13, Amoah cautioned that demands for easy access to money could undermine the economy if the government fails to maintain discipline in the disbursement of public funds. He urged the minister to ensure that spending decisions support economic growth, debt sustainability and social welfare rather than create further challenges for the country.
Amoah also warned against arbitrary expenditure cuts, stressing that the government must carefully assess the implications of reducing funding for particular sectors and programmes. “It is very important that he becomes very tough against any statement and pressures that will let us destroy our economy by saying that we want money in the system; there is no money because people want free [things]…”, he said.
He added, “Ghanaian people want cheap money. So the advice I’m giving to my brother is that he should be firm and make sure that at least he designs a transition framework that will begin to see money in their pockets, but in a very structured manner that will not be dysfunctional to the performance of our Republic.”
The MP’s remarks come amid ongoing debates over fiscal policy and the need to balance social spending with debt sustainability. The Finance Minister’s next steps will likely involve outlining a structured framework for future disbursements to address public demand while safeguarding the economy.
