Majority Leader in Parliament, Mahama Ayariga, has asked the Minority Caucus to support calls for former Minister of Finance Ken Ofori-Atta to return to Ghana and account for the country’s debt situation.
Speaking during the debate on the 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review in Parliament on Thursday, July 23, 2026, Ayariga accused Ken Ofori-Atta of leaving Ghanaians to bear the burden of fixing the economy after what he described as reckless borrowing under the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.
“Where is the man who put us in debt? Where is Ken Ofori-Atta? After borrowing recklessly and creating the debt, he has gone and is hiding in the United States of America. We must bring Ken Ofori-Atta back,” he stated.
He insisted that Ofori-Atta must return to explain his stewardship of the economy.
“Ken Ofori-Atta should be brought back to account to the good people of Ghana for why he so grossly mismanaged our finances and left ordinary Ghanaians to struggle to fix the economy while he enjoys himself in the United States of America,” he indicated.
Ayariga contrasted the economic approach of the current Minister of Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, with that of his predecessor, arguing that the current administration has been able to manage the economy without relying on excessive taxation and borrowing.
Ghana is being invited to borrow, but we are not in a hurry - Finance Minister
“We were in this country, in this Parliament, and there was a Finance Minister who told us that he could not run this economy without taxing our mobile money transfers.”
“Today, we have a Minister of Finance who has abolished all those taxes, and yet he is successfully managing our economy. We have a Minister of Finance who is not borrowing recklessly but is successfully managing our economy,” he noted.
Ayariga praised Dr Ato Forson’s handling of the economy, saying the Minister of Finance had ‘given a good account of himself’ through measures aimed at stabilising the economy while reducing the tax burden on citizens.
He also criticised the spending priorities of the previous NPP administration, accusing it of focusing resources on projects such as the National Cathedral rather than critical infrastructure.
According to him, the 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review reflects a shift in priorities, with government resources being directed towards expanding educational infrastructure, improving existing schools and undertaking major road projects across the country.
Background
Minister of Finance Dr Cassiel Ato Forson is presenting the 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review to Parliament on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
The review, required under Ghana's public financial management laws, will provide an update on the economy, government revenue and expenditure, debt servicing, and the fiscal outlook for the remainder of 2026.
MRA/BAI
LIVE: Finance Minister presents 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review in Parliament
Copyright © 1994 - 2026 GhanaWeb. All rights reserved.
