MP accuses government of breaching PFM Act over 'Big Push' road projects

Member of Parliament for Old Tafo, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, has accused the government of engaging in what he describes as “illegality, thievery, and hypocrisy” following a leaked Ministry of Finance document approving over GH¢50.9 billion for road projects under the ‘Big Push Programme’ without parliamentary approval.

The document, titled “Commitment Authorisation for Projects Under the Big Push Programme”, and allegedly signed by Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, purports to grant approval to the Ministry of Roads and Highways to commit the government to multi-year expenditures covering 2025, 2026, and 2027 for major road infrastructure works across the country.

According to the letter shared by the Old Tafo MP on his official Facebook handle, the Ministry of Finance allegedly authorised a total of GH¢50,986,620,125.28 over three years with GH¢7.6 billion allocated for 2025, GH¢30.6 billion for 2026, and GH¢12.7 billion for 2027 to fund the rehabilitation, upgrading, and construction of several major highways and feeder roads nationwide.

However, Assafuah argues that this alleged authorisation constitutes a direct breach of Article 181 of the 1992 Constitution and Section 33 of the Public Financial Management (PFM) Act, which requires parliamentary approval for any financial commitments binding the government beyond one fiscal year.

Citing Section 33(1) of the PFM Act in a public statement issued by him, the MP noted that “a covered entity shall not enter into any agreement that binds the government for more than one financial year except where such commitment has the prior written approval of the Minister and is authorised by Parliament.”

He contended that the multi-year approval issued by the Ministry of Finance lacked such parliamentary endorsement, rendering it “illegal and unconstitutional.”

“From the correspondence, it is clear that the Ministry of Finance has given a multi-year expenditure approval to the Roads Ministry without parliamentary approval, in blatant breach of the PFM Act,” he said.

Assafuah also criticised the financial prudence of the government’s decision, noting that while Parliament approved GH¢13 billion for the Big Push Programme in the 2025 Budget, the Ministry of Finance has committed to spending nearly GH¢51 billion over three years, far exceeding the approved budget ceiling.