Finance, Agriculture ministries clash over GH¢1.6 billion agriculture funding claim

Ghana's Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) have reportedly disagreed over the amount of funding released for agricultural programmes in 2026, with both institutions presenting differing accounts of budget execution.

According to a report by citinewsroom.com, the Ministry of Finance said that it has released more than GH¢1.6 billion to MoFA, representing approximately 85% of the ministry's approved budget for Goods and Services and Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) this year.

According to the Finance Ministry, releases for Goods and Services have reached 94.73% of the approved allocation, while CAPEX disbursements stand at 74.66%.

The ministry argued that these figures reflect strong budget implementation and support for agricultural initiatives.

According to the Finance Ministry, with the exception of transfers to the National Food Buffer Stock Company, all payment requests were initiated by MoFA through the Ghana Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS).

It noted that each transaction can be traced through requisition dates, journal entries, approval records, and warrant numbers, in line with established public financial management procedures.

However, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has challenged the Finance Ministry's claims, insisting that the figures do not align with official budget execution documents issued by the Finance Ministry itself.

According to MoFA, while a Commitment Authorisation was granted on February 15, 2026, a subsequent First and Second Quarter Budget Allotment Letter dated February 19, 2026, limited the ministry's expenditure ceiling for the first half of the year to GH¢910 million.

The ministry further stated that the accompanying allotment schedule restricted actual spending between January and June 2026 to about GH¢453 million, covering compensation, operational expenses, and contractual commitments.

MoFA outlined allocations for several flagship programmes, including GH¢172.5 million for Farmer Service Centres, GH¢36.75 million for the Nkokonkitinkiti Programme, GH¢77.3 million for Fertiliser and Certified Seeds, GH¢4.5 million for the Feed Ghana Programme, GH¢30 million for the National Food Buffer Stock Company, and GH¢26.25 million for irrigation infrastructure projects.

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The ministry maintains that it has not received any additional authorisation that would justify the Finance Ministry's assertion that more than GH¢1.6 billion has been released.

Questioning the basis of the figure, MoFA argued that public expenditure should be assessed using official allotments and cash releases rather than public statements.

In a statement, the ministry said it had attached relevant Commitment Authorisation letters and budget allotment documents to support its position that spending for the first half of 2026 remained subject to the approved GH¢910 million ceiling.

MoFA's Media Liaison Officer, Samuel Huntor, said the documentation provided clearly supports the ministry's position and called for transparency and accuracy in the reporting of public financial information.

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