By Bertha Demah
Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has expressed disappointment in the 2025 Budget Statement presented by the Finance Minister, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, in Parliament, yesterday, describing it as part two of the government lamentation series.
Hear the Member of Parliament (MP) for Effutu in the Central region: “Mr. Speaker, this afternoon, we have been presented with part two of the lamentation series. The part, the part one, Mr. Speaker, the part one was Mahamanomics. The part two, is Forsonomics. And it is very clear, Mr. Speaker, that under the economy that they complain about, the growth was 5.7%. And under the reset economy, the growth is rather going down. You are projecting a four point something growth. That is what you are doing.”
“Mr. Speaker, there is no inspiration from this budget. There is no hope in this budget,” he added.
Honourable Afenyo-Markin also emphasized that the government’s 24-hour economy policy remains unfulfilled.
He intimated the youth were promised jobs, but those promises are now seen as ‘Azaa’ promises with no real substance or hope offered by the budget.
“Mr. Speaker, the youth, the youth of this country, have been waiting for this 24-hour economy policy. The minister tells us the policy will be brought later.
Mr. Speaker, it is clear that all the jobs they promised the youth of this country was merely an ‘Azaa’ promise. Mr. Speaker, there is no inspiration from this budget. There is no hope in this budget,” he affirmed.
Again, the Minority Leader argued that the previous administration under the same John Mahama government left some debts related to Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and now, the current government is attempting to renegotiate those debts.
“Mr. Speaker, the economy that they complain about left us with four months of import cover. And they are projecting under reset, three months.
Mr. Speaker, these are the very people who managed the economy up to 2016 and left us with some IPP debts,” he stressed.
He further accused the government of merely repeating existing social intervention programs without offering anything new or impactful.
“The repetition of the social intervention programs. this ‘Azaa’ budget, we cannot allow it to get onto the shelves for Ghanaians to think that there is any hope,” he stated.
