2018 Budget in the right direction – Bokpin

An Economist and Head of Finance at the University of Ghana Business School, Prof Godfred Bokpin, has lauded the government’s 2018 budget statement as a “good” one and pointing to the right direction.

Prof. Bokpin said this Thursday during Starr FM’s 2018 Budget Dialogue dubbed: “In-depth analysis of what 2018 holds for government and the ordinary Ghanaian” held at UPSA in Accra.

“The 2018 budget is a good one that enables us to plan and build on the progress that we have made,” he said.

“So, when you look at the 2017 budget it builds substantially on the progress that the previous government made in 2016 and 2015 under the development framework called the Ghana shared growth development agenda two. So it is a continuation.”

He said when one picks the 2018 budget he or she will find out that there is sufficient information on how 2017 responded to the policy prescriptions and programmes in the budget.

Touching on the government’s macro economic targets, he said “maybe we should have done better”, adding “but the question is what we are asking for is it something that can be delivered within ten-month, eighteen months…probably not.”

“It is very important to say that this government has started on a good note,” Dr. Kwaku Mawutor, the Dean, School of Professional Studies chipped in.

“Immediately this government got into office, they started with most of the things they promised the people of Ghana,” he added.

Nonetheless, he stated that some of the projections in the 2018 budget are alarming, especially when about 32 percent of the government’s expenditure is going into compensation.

“Looking at revenue target, I think this government is being over-ambitious,” he pointed out.