Ghana MP Gideon Boako warns fiscal gains may mask spending cuts

Deputy ranking member of Parliament’s Finance Committee, Dr Gideon Boako, cautioned that Ghana’s recent improvement in fiscal indicators could stem from reduced spending and delayed projects rather than lasting structural reforms. He stressed that the quality of fiscal adjustment, not merely the size of the gains reported in the 2026 Mid‑Year Budget Review, determines whether the recovery is durable.

Boako also disputed Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson’s claim that the gains are solely due to superior economic management, arguing they are largely the result of the IMF‑supported programme and reforms carried over from the previous administration. He cited the National Development Planning Commission’s assessment, which attributes better fiscal outcomes to consolidation, expenditure rationalisation, monetary tightening, debt restructuring and foreign‑exchange market reforms. Boako warned that weak domestic revenue mobilisation and postponed infrastructure spending could undermine future fiscal health.