Lawyer Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, has taken a swipe at the NDC government over what he describes as a “misplaced and reckless economic priority” in the 2026 Budget.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, during the budget debate, the MP expressed shock over the government’s intention to commit about GHC13 billiontowards the procurement of a new presidential jet whileover 78,000 qualified Ghanaian nurses remain unemployed.
According to him, such a decision does not only deny Ghanaian youth opportunities but rather channels revenue to foreign economies at Ghana’s expense.
“With this choice, you are only giving foreign countries revenue while our competent youth remain unemployed,”he said.
“The people from whom you obtained the GHC13 billion are not getting jobs — your own taxpayers — and this is the choice you make at this point of austerity? Mr Speaker, it is certainly not a prudent choice,” Lawyer Awuah stressed.
The Manhyia South MP further warned that the economic path the government has chosen could force Ghana back into the arms of the International Monetary Fund.
“Mr Speaker, I don’t want to be a prophet of doom, but this NDC government led by John Dramani Mahama will go back to the IMF because this is a very imprudent economic choice,” he declared.
Citing international development examples, the MP argued that countries that have risen to economic strength did not do so through extravagant expenditure on aircraft at the expense of job creation.
“Mr Speaker, Malaysia did not develop by making such expenditure choices. They didn’t become an Asian tiger by procuring aircraft when their teeming youth didn’t have jobs. Singapore did not develop by procuring aircraft when its young people were struggling to secure employment,” he added.
He urged the government to prioritize job creation, particularly for health professionals and other skilled youth, instead of luxury acquisitions that do not directly benefit the Ghanaian people.
Source: Ghana/otecfmghana.com/
