Finance and Agric ministers caught up in budget war

The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), have become embroiled in a public dispute over the release of funds for agricultural programmes, with both institutions presenting sharply contrasting figures on the execution of the 2026 budget.

The dispute has gone beyond arguments about money, quantum, and percentages and has taken a political turn, with the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) calling on President John Dramani Mahama to intervene.

The back-and-forth, characterised by strong language, has been seen within political circles as part of an emerging rivalry between Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson and Food and Agriculture Minister Eric Opoku, both of whom are contenders for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential nomination ahead of the 2028 elections.

However, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, spokesperson for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has called on President John Dramani Mahama to rein in the Finance Minister over the ongoing disagreement regarding 2026 budget releases.

Aboagye alleged that the Finance Minister is sabotaging his fellow ministers by selectively prioritizing the release of funds to certain ministries, particularly those responsible for Roads and Energy, while leaving others, including MOFA and the Ministry of Education, led by Haruna Iddrisu, struggling with inadequate disbursements.

The controversy erupted after the Ministry of Finance announced on Thursday, June 4, 2026, that it had released more than GH¢1.6 billion to MoFA, representing 85 per cent of the ministry’s budget allocation for Goods and Services and Capital Expenditure (CAPEX).

MoFA swiftly challenged the claim, insisting that actual releases as of May 29 amounted to only GH¢244.3 million, representing just 12.4 per cent of its approved budget of GH¢1.97 billion.

In a press release dated June 5, 2026, MoFA described figures circulated by the Ministry of Finance in a video and on social media as misleading and maintained that the ministry continued to face significant funding constraints affecting the implementation of key agricultural programmes.

The statement from the Office of the Minister for Food and Agriculture, signed by Samuel Huntor, Media Liaison Officer, urged the Ministry of Finance to “stop the infantile propaganda before it explodes”, insisting that the Finance Ministry’s claims “do not align with the official budget execution documents issued by the Ministry of Finance itself”.

According to MoFA, the Ministry of Finance issued a Commitment Authorization to the ministry on February 15, 2026. However, four days later, on February 19, 2026, it issued the 2026 First and Second Quarter Budget Allotment Letter, which explicitly stated that, notwithstanding the contents of the Commitment Authorization, MoFA’s total expenditure for the first half of the year should not exceed GH¢910 million.

More significantly, the accompanying allotment schedule further restricted actual spending between January and June 2026 to approximately GH¢453 million, covering all expenditures, including staff compensation, contractual commitments and operational activities.

The records indicate that only limited allocations were made to key agricultural interventions, including GH¢172.5 million for Farmers’ Service Centres, GH¢36.7 million for the Nkoko Nketenkete 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.

MoFA stated that since the issuance of the allotment letter, it had not received any subsequent communication from the Ministry of Finance authorising additional expenditures that would support the claim that GH¢1.6 billion had been released.

“The question, therefore, remains straightforward: if the Ministry of Finance officially capped MoFA’s spending through its allotment system and has not issued any subsequent authorization, where exactly is this GH¢1.6 billion figure coming from?” the statement asked.

It added: “Public financial management is governed by official allotments, cash releases and actual budget availability, not by public relations narratives or propaganda.

“The Ghanaian people deserve transparency, accuracy and honesty in the management of public finances, particularly in a sector as critical as agriculture and food security.

“For the avoidance of doubt, attached are the Commitment Authorization letters issued by the Ministry of Finance, together with the 2026 First and Second Quarter Budget Allotment Letter and the accompanying schedule, which clearly indicate that MoFA’s expenditure ceiling for the first half of 2026 was capped at GH¢910,000,000. The facts speak for themselves.”

The controversy attracted public attention after both ministries presented differing accounts of budget execution and the disbursement of funds earmarked for agricultural initiatives.

The conflicting figures have raised questions about coordination within government and the accuracy of information being communicated to the public. However, records from the Ministry of Finance show that releases for Goods and Services have reached 94.73 per cent of the approved allocation, while releases for Capital Expenditure stand at 74.66 per cent.

“This is clear proof that the Ministry of Finance has released over GH¢1.6 billion to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, representing 85 per cent of MoFA’s 2026 budget allocation for Goods and Services and Capital Expenditure (CAPEX),” the ministry said.

The ministry further explained that, except for funds released to the National Food Buffer Stock Company, all requests for Goods and Services funding were initiated by MoFA through the government’s financial management system.

“For Goods and Services, all the requests were initiated by MoFA itself, with the exception of the release made to the National Food Buffer Stock Company,” the statement said.

The Finance Ministry noted that the transactions were processed through the Ghana Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), which is used by ministries, departments and agencies to submit and track funding requests.

“As shown in the spreadsheet, every transaction is backed by a requisition date, journal number, approval date and warrant number,” the ministry stated.

“The journal and warrant numbers are system-generated through GIFMIS. This is the standard process by which all ministries, departments and agencies generate and process requests.”

However, MoFA followed up with another statement on the same day, reiterating its rejection of the Finance Ministry’s claim that it had received 85 per cent of its 2026 budget allocation.

According to MoFA, total releases received as of May 29, 2026, stood at GH¢244,321,150 out of an approved budget of GH¢1,970,686,606, representing just 12.4 per cent.

The ministry said the funding shortfalls had affected operations across several critical programmes and interventions.

For Goods and Services, it noted that only GH¢5.3 million had been released out of an approved allocation of GH¢35.4 million for headquarters and agency operations, representing about 15 per cent.

Under the Poultry Farm-to-Table Project, popularly known as Nkoko Nketenkete, GH¢67.4 million had been released out of an approved allocation of nearly GH¢245 million, representing approximately 27.5 per cent.

MoFA described the Fertiliser and Certified Seeds Programme as critically underfunded, noting that only GH¢15.3 million had been released from a budgeted GH¢515.3 million, representing about three per cent of the approved allocation.

The ministry further disclosed that the National Food Buffer Stock Company had not received any funding despite an approved allocation of GH¢200 million earmarked for grain purchases and strategic reserves.

It also expressed concern over delays in capital expenditure, stating that no funds had been released for the construction of 50 Farmers’ Service Centres despite an approved allocation of GH¢690 million.

“On the Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) side, no releases had been made for the construction of the 50 Farmers’ Service Centres despite an approved budget allocation of GH¢690,000,000. Consequently, procurement processes and implementation activities for this critical intervention remain adversely affected,” the statement said.

However, the ministry acknowledged that some capital projects had received funding support. It noted that irrigation-related interventions had benefited from releases, while total capital expenditure releases stood at GH¢150.3 million as of the end of May.

MoFA maintained that the figures underscored ongoing financial constraints affecting agricultural transformation programmes and urged the public to disregard misinformation regarding budget disbursements.

The ministry said an accurate understanding of funding releases was necessary to properly assess the progress and challenges facing the agriculture sector.

The clarification comes amid growing public debate over government spending priorities and the flow of funds to key sectors of the economy.

Aboagye said the situation reflected poor coordination at the highest level of government and required urgent presidential intervention to prevent further escalation, and directly urged the President to step in and rein in the Finance Minister, whom he accused of being at the centre of the controversy.

“I think the President should put the Finance Minister on a Zoom call as soon as possible,” he said, adding that “all these troubles and problems are stemming from the Finance Minister”.

He maintained that the public disagreement between the two ministries was damaging and signalled a breakdown in leadership and communication within the government’s economic management team.

Aboagye argued that the President must assert authority over his appointees, particularly the Finance Minister, to restore clarity and coordination in agricultural financing.