Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources (MLNR) Hon. George Mireku Duker has opined that the President’s budget statement for 2023 to be read at Parliament today 24th November 2022 is one of hope and relief founded on pragmatic consultative ideas geared towards comprehensive recovery from these difficult external shocks impacting heavily on the Ghanaian economy.
The budget was scheduled to have been read on November 15 but was postponed to today 24th November which is still within the allowable space of time as stipulated by the Public Financial Act.
Stakeholders feared a possible breach by government should it fail to read the budget by end of month November as captured in article 179 of the constitution.
In an exclusive interview with the deputy Minister to pick his mind on the 2023 budget and all the accompanying brouhaha that greeted it, Hon. Duker stated that he is largely convinced of a positive out-turn based on the hard work that he knows the Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has put into the preparation of this particular 2023 budget with full knowledge of the prevailing current difficult circumstances.
He said, the Finance Minister has been planning and working around this budget since April this year by setting up the various Committees for their input and ideas leading to the drafting of the 2023 budget. “All of these were also done through wide consultations both locally and internationally”, he added.
On the issue of the intended or planned boycott of the budget reading by the Majority in Parliament, the Deputy Lands and Natural Resource Minister stated that he believes strongly that his colleagues in the Majority would not abandon their own boat at this time because “we would obviously need the collective effort and consensus building to get the 2023 budget implemented to mitigate these economic challenges.”
He said, “The future is bright, lets continue to rally behind the President as he fashions out strategic steps to wean us out of the global shocks”.
“I’ll seize this opportunity to humbly plead for us to come together as a caucus to support the President’s budget” he urged.
