By Elsie Appiah
Accra, July 29, GNA- Parliament on Monday July 28 witnessed a heated debate on the government’s Mid-Year Review, with Members of Parliament from both sides of the House weighing in on the progress made so far.
The Motion for the debate was moved on Monday following the presentation of the Mid-Year Budget Review by Dr. Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, the Minister of Finance, to Parliament on Thursday, July 24.
The budget, presented on the theme: “Resetting the Economy for the Ghana We Want,” saw the Minister outline key achievements, priorities, and the road ahead.
Mr Isaac Adjei Mensah, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Wassa East, and Chair of the Roads and Transport Committee, commended the Finance Minister’s presentation, saying it was a “breath of fresh air” as the mid-year review captured 32 critical road projects to be embarked on.
“Mr Speaker, this minister intelligently demonstrated to us how he would achieve the targets set in the budget,” he said.
He highlighted the government’s commitment to tackling 32 critical roads under the “Big Push” agenda, noting that 13 of those roads were abandoned by the previous administration.
On his part, Dr Gideon Boako, a New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Tano North, noted that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) expansion achieved under the NPP administration was what the country was seeing in Ghana’s debt reduction.
“Mr Speaker, it is important for our colleagues opposite, to speak to facts using reliable data; the propaganda is too much,” he said on the Floor of the House.
Dr Boako also pointed out that Ghana recorded a primary surplus in 2017, 2018, and 2019, which was unprecedented at the time.
Mr Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, Minister of Environment, Science, and Technology, and NDC MP for Tamale Central, attributed the sustainability of the cedi to the government’s policies.
“Mr Speaker, the sustainability of the cedi is something that is real; it is not a fluke,” he said.
GNA
Edited by Lydia Kukua Asamoah