The NPP Minority in Parliament has accused the Minister for Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, of deliberately misleading the public with inaccurate data during the presentation of the 2025 mid-year budget review.
Addressing a press conference in Accra, the Ranking Member on the Finance Committee, Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, joined by Ranking Member on the Committee on Development and the Economy, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, and Deputy Ranking on the Finance Committee, Dr Gideon Boako, described several of the Minister’s claims as “factually false and politically motivated.”
Dr Amin Adam criticised the Minister’s assertion that the 2022 economic crisis was largely the result of corruption and reckless spending, calling it “unfortunate and dishonest.”
He argued that the Minister’s attempt to shift blame ignored the global economic context of the time and amounted to “propaganda designed to smear the previous government.”
Dr Adam also dismissed the Finance Minister’s claim that Ghana had recorded a primary surplus for the first time in history, stating that surpluses were achieved under the NPP administration in 2017, 2018, 2019, and even the first half of 2024.
Dr Boako further challenged the Minister’s claim of a historic 15.6% reduction in debt accumulation within six months, pointing out that this was neither unprecedented nor accurately represented.
“Ghana’s external debt dropped by GH¢141.8 billion in December 2022 due to cedi appreciation alone—far more than the current figures being trumpeted,” he explained.
He attributed much of the recent debt-to-GDP ratio improvement to initiatives undertaken by the previous administration, including debt relief agreements and GDP growth driven by policies initiated before 2025.
Kojo Oppong Nkrumah took issue with the Finance Minister’s reported claim that the cedi had strengthened from GHS17 to GHS10.4 to the US dollar.
“This is simply false,” he said. “The cedi never traded at GHS17 under the NPP government. At the time of handover, it was around GHS14.70.
The Minister’s own document confirms a 42.6% appreciation, which matches a rate closer to GHS14, not 17. This deliberate distortion must be corrected.”
The Minority leaders jointly called on the Minister to show humility and acknowledge the solid economic foundation he inherited.
They argued that credit for recent improvements should be shared with the previous administration, rather than used to falsely rewrite the narrative.
“Ghanaians deserve honest and credible leadership, not data manipulation for political survival,” the statement concluded.
