The Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, has dismissed the government's 2026 Mid-Year Fiscal Policy Review as a presentation that offered "empty promises" instead of practical solutions to the country's economic challenges.
Responding to the review presented by Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson on Thursday, July 23, 2026, the Effutu Member of Parliament argued that Ghanaians expected concrete policy interventions to ease their burdens but were instead presented with what he described as rhetoric.
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Afenyo-Markin questioned the consistency of figures presented by the government, particularly regarding road sector financing, suggesting that conflicting accounts from government officials raise concerns about transparency.
"You see, you are suffering and you've been redundant in your various ministries. His Deputy Minister told the nation that GH¢1.6 billion was released to the Roads Minister. Today, he says only GH¢1.1 billion," Afenyo-Markin said.
He maintained that the success of a Finance Minister should not be judged by the amount of money spent but by the impact of policies on the lives of ordinary Ghanaians.
"The true measure of a Finance Minister is not how much he spends," he stated.
The Minority Leader also turned his attention to Ghana's cocoa sector, arguing that the government's mid-year review failed to provide hope for cocoa farmers who continue to grapple with challenges affecting their livelihoods.
According to him, the absence of fresh policy measures for the sector reflects what he described as the government's inability to respond to the concerns of millions of cocoa farmers.
"Throughout his review, there was no policy announcement for the cocoa sector. The four million cocoa farmers are suffering. This Finance Minister, since he took over as the supervising minister responsible for cocoa, we have seen suffering and wailing, and he comes here to lament," he said.
On the Gold for Reserves programme, Afenyo-Markin accused the government of disregarding concerns previously raised by the Minority, insisting that the administration ignored warnings over the policy's implementation.
"What he has forgotten is that he refused good counsel from the Minority. When GoldBod and Bank of Ghana charges on the Gold for Reserves policy were at 15%, we cautioned him. He didn't listen," he said.
He further argued that subsequent interventions by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and recent developments involving the Bank of Ghana vindicated the Minority's earlier position.
"Later, the IMF forced them to reduce it to 9%. Three days ago, the Governor announced that he was no longer going to participate in this Gold for Reserves. It's too late today. You've already incurred losses of GH¢9.6 billion. That is what the IMF told you. And you come here saying prudent management of the economy. Really?" he questioned.
Wrapping up his assessment of the government's economic performance, Afenyo-Markin insisted the mid-year review lacked the bold measures needed to tackle the country's pressing economic concerns.
"Mr Speaker, this review is full of English with empty promises," Afenyo-Markin said.
NA/BAI
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