Delay in approving 2023 budget will push Ghana down the drain – Abena Osei-Asare

A Deputy Finance Minister, Abena Osei Asare, has stated that the plethora of issues which Ghana currently faces demands quick responses in the approval of the 2023 budget.

According to her, the Minority side of parliament must support the budget’s approval in order to avert further crises.

Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Tuesday, the deputy finance minister indicated that Ghana’s economic challenges have been caused by both local and global factors.

“We are faced with local and global challenges, we also have an ongoing IMF negotiation, and also, we have debt operations which we are trying to come up with to bring our debt levels to a sustainable level.

“Mr Speaker, little did we know that a global pandemic and a war in Ukraine will bring us down to our knees…The quicker we do something about it, the better. It is in this respect that we are asking our colleagues on the other side to support the government in the revenue measures that we have stated in next year’s budget. Any delay in passing this revenue measure means we are pushing Ghana down the drain,” Abena Osei-Asare stressed.

The debate on the 2023 budget began on November 29, 2022 on the floor of parliament, after which it will be approved by the House in due course.

SSD/MA