Oppong Nkrumah initiates bill to address budget devt gap

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP)  for Ofoase Ayirebi, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has initiated steps to introduce a “Public Financial Management (Amendment) Bill, 2026” in Parliament.

The bill by the Ranking Member on the Economy and Development Committee of Parliament is to address a critical need to integrate national planning with budget execution better.

The new legislation seeks to amend the country’s Public Financial Management Act of 2016 (Act 921), specifically to ensure that the annual national budget is directly aligned with the nation’s long-term national development plan.

Rationale 

This move is seen as a strategic effort to overcome historical challenges where budgetary allocations have sometimes strayed from national priorities, leading to inefficiencies and stalled development objectives.

The bill by the former Minister of Information seeks to institutionalise a more robust framework in which every cedi allocated directly contributes to the nation’s strategic vision, fostering greater accountability and predictable progress.

Stakeholder engagement

In preparation for advancing the bill and to gather comprehensive perspectives, a stakeholder engagement has been scheduled for Monday, March 2, 2026.

Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), identified as central players in the country’s fiscal chain under the existing Public Financial Management Act, have been invited to provide essential expert and technical insights.

This collaborative approach underscores a commitment to good legislative practice, ensuring that the final bill is both practical and effective.

The stakeholder engagement is under the auspices of the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin and Mr Oppong Nkrumah.

In a brief interaction with the media, Mr Oppong Nkrumah stressed the importance of stakeholder engagement, which he said was aimed at securing broad input to refine this pivotal legislative reform.

He said the proposed amendments were expected to lead to more streamlined resource allocation, improved project implementation and ultimately, a more coherent path towards national development goals.