Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has sharply rejected criticism from Dr Gideon Boako, Member of Parliament for Tano North, over the 2026 Budget. Dr Boako had earlier raised concerns that the budget contained “grey areas” and suggested the government had fallen short on nearly half of its macro-fiscal targets.
Speaking in Parliament during the budget debate, Dr Boako specifically highlighted gaps in tax administration and inflation management, and expressed concern that plans to introduce artificial intelligence at the ports could be exploited if left unmonitored. He also questioned the Finance Minister’s credibility, citing perceived shortfalls in meeting government economic objectives.
Responding decisively on X on November 27, 2025, Dr Forson dismissed the claims as “curious and inaccurate,” stressing that available data contradicted the assertion that half of the targets had been missed.
He outlined that Ghana’s economic growth reached 6.3 percent in the first half of the year, surpassing the revised 2025 target of 4.0 percent. Inflation had also dropped sharply from 23.8 percent in 2024 to 8 percent by October 2025, well below the projected 11.9 percent end-of-year target.
The Finance Minister added that the country had shifted from a primary deficit of 3 percent of GDP in 2024 to a surplus of 1.6 percent by September 2025, exceeding the original target of 0.6 percent. Public debt had been reduced from 61.8 percent to 45 percent of GDP, while gross reserves improved from four months of import cover to 4.8 months.
Dr Forson highlighted that these figures are recognized and validated by financial markets, investors, credit rating agencies, the IMF, and the World Bank. Concluding his rebuttal, he reinforced that the government is on track and regaining credibility through disciplined fiscal management.
“This is not the profile of a government missing half its targets. It is the profile of a government restoring confidence and stability,” he affirmed.
SETTING THE RECORDS STRAIGHT
2. On Fiscal Targets and Performance
A. Gideon Boako argued that we missed at least 50 percent of our budget targets.
It is a curious and inaccurate claim, because none of the macro data supports it.
i. Growth for the first half of the year stood… pic.twitter.com/K8tfPmJyqJ
— Cassiel Ato Forson (PhD) (@Cassielforson) November 27, 2025
