Gov’t Promises GH¢13.8bn For Infrastructure, But Allocates Only GH¢800m -KON

The former Minister for Works and Housing, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has accused the John Mahama government of failing to prioritise the development of the country, based on the budgetary allocation to the various ministries, as contained in the 2025 budget.

According to him, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) led government promised to invest a whopping GHS13.8 billion in infrastructure, “but when you look at the actual budget, they have only allocated GHS800 million less than a billion cedis. If infrastructure was truly their priority, why have they failed to back their words with money?”

Road infrastructure

Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Member of Parliament for Ofoase Ayirebi, in the Eastern Region, also criticised the government’s failure to allocate sufficient funds for road infrastructure in particular, which he argued, was essential for economic growth and development.

“Ghana’s road network is in dire need of investment, but instead of committing real resources to fix our highways and rural roads, this government has chosen to increase spending on government bureaucracy, while leaving critical infrastructure projects underfunded,” he lamented.

He accused the government of focusing more on expanding its political offices rather than addressing pressing national issues. “If you compare the allocations, it becomes obvious—they are spending more on the Office of Government Machinery than on fixing roads that farmers and traders rely on daily. What kind of priorities are these?” he asked.

Contributing to the debate on the budget in Parliament yesterday, Mr Oppong Nkrumah responded to claims made by Deputy Minister for Finance, Thomas Ampem Nyarko, that the government had made strategic allocations to drive economic growth?He dismissed these claims as misplaced priorities in the budget allocations.

Government machinery

Mr. Oppong Nkrumah, a Ranking Member on the Economy noted that the government had allocated more resources to the office of government machinery than to critical sectors such as infrastructure, roads, and initiatives aimed at supporting businesses and women entrepreneurs.

“This budget clearly shows that the NDC is not interested in development. How does a government justify allocating more money to the Office of Government Machinery than to roads, the Women’s Bank they promised, or key infrastructure projects that will actually benefit Ghanaians?” he questioned.

He further noted that while the government claims to be committed to economic transformation, its budget allocations tell a different story. “Their rhetoric is about development, but their allocations expose their true priorities. Instead of focusing on fixing roads, building schools, and funding their own Women’s Bank initiative, they are diverting more funds to sustain the bloated government machinery,” he added.

Women’s Bank

Mr. Oppong Nkrumah also had issue with the government’s failure to provide adequate funding for its flagship Women’s Bank initiative, which the NDC had promised as a way to support female entrepreneurs.

“They made a big deal about setting up a Women’s Bank to empower Ghanaian women in business, yet in this budget, the funding for that initiative is nowhere near what is needed to make it effective. This is another clear example of how the NDC prioritises politics over real development,” he stated.

‘Big Push’

The Ofoase Ayirebi MP also pointed out that despite the NDC government’s pledge to invest heavily in infrastructure through its ‘Big Push’ agenda, the budget allocations do not reflect this commitment.

This, the former Minister for Works and Housing called on Parliament to demand a realignment of the budget to ensure that development-focused sectors receive the funding they deserve.

“This budget, as it stands, does not serve the best interest of Ghanaians. It must be revised so that more funds are directed toward critical areas such as infrastructure, roads, and initiatives that support businesses and job creation,” he urged.

Mr. Oppong Nkrumah concluded by stating that the NDC government’s handling of the budget further proves that it is more focused on maintaining political power than driving real economic progress.

“As we debate this budget, I challenge my colleagues on the other side to justify why the Office of Government Machinery deserves more funding than infrastructure, roads, or their own campaign promises like the Women’s Bank. If they cannot defend it, then they must admit that this budget is not for development, it is for sustaining their political interests,” he emphasised.

With the parliamentary debate on the 2025 Budget now in full swing, the Minority has vowed to continue pushing for greater accountability and realignment of the budget to reflect the true needs of Ghanaians.

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