The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, will present the 2019 budget statement and financial policy of the government to Parliament today, Thursday.
This will be the third budget of the Akufo-Addo administration, in accordance with Article 179 of the 1992 constitution.
President Nana Akufo-Addo has said that the budget will bring hope to Ghanaians, amid times he himself has described as difficult.
He said the 2019 budget will “reflect the hope Ghanaians have in the government and the future of the country”.
Ghanaians are slowly getting used to fuel being above GHc 5 per litre. The cedi has also been trading at GHc5 to a dollar for a while.
Citi Business News visited the Ministries and spoke to workers where most of them appealed to the government to announce measures that will improve the living conditions in the country.
According to them, the government must try to reduce the prices of petrol and electricity tariffs to make life easier for them.
Importers have urged the government to take critical steps to strengthen the local currency against the dollar in the coming year.
The local currency began the year on the interbank market trading at GHC 4.42 pesewas to a dollar but is currently trading at about GHC 5 Cedis at some forex bureaus around the country.
Budget beyond hell
The Minority is less optimistic and has tagged the budget as one ushering in hopelessness.
The Minority is projecting an addition of GHc16 billion to Ghana’s public debt stock.
The public debt stock as at August 2018, stood at GHc159.4 billion up from GH¢122 billion some two years ago.
Minority Spokesperson on Finance, Cassiel Ato Forson said the two previous budgets presented by the Akufo-Addo government have brought nothing good but only hardships to Ghanaians.
He added that the 2019 budget will turn President Akufo-Addo’s ‘Ghana beyond Aid’ mantra, to “Ghana beyond hell.”
Source: citinewsroom
