The Minority Caucus of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Parliament is seeking to curb what it describes as discretionary and unplanned public spending through a proposed amendment to the country’s public finance law.
The Public Financial Management (Amendment) Bill, 2026, sponsored by Mr. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Ranking Member on Parliament’s Economy and Development Committee, aims to prevent the release of funds for projects not aligned with nationally approved development frameworks.
Addressing stakeholders in Accra, Mr. Oppong Nkrumah explained that the bill would bar the Minister for Finance from disbursing budgetary allocations to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), as well as Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), unless such projects are captured and certified within plans approved by the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC).
He clarified that the proposal would not restrict emergency or contingency spending, but would target routine programmes that fall outside the country’s strategic development agenda. According to him, the objective is to ensure that public funds are strictly channelled into initiatives that support Ghana’s long-term development priorities.
The Clerk to Parliament, Mr. Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, urged stakeholders to focus discussions on aligning national budgets with development aspirations as enshrined in Chapter 6 of the Constitution.
Mr. Camillo Pwamang, Deputy Clerk in charge of Legislative Management Services, added that the amendment would introduce stricter transparency requirements. Under the proposal, annual progress reports on development programmes must be published before expenditure warrants are issued.
If passed, the bill would make NDPC-approved development plans the mandatory foundation for annual budget preparation and require documented progress reporting as a condition for including expenditure estimates in the national budget.
The initiative marks a renewed push by the Minority to tighten fiscal discipline and reinforce accountability mechanisms in public financial management.
