The Executive Director of the Africa Centre for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA), Dr Rasheed Draman, has called for stricter alignment between Ghana’s national budget and its long-term development plan.
He described the proposed Public Financial Management (Amendment) Bill, 2026, as a critical step toward improving fiscal discipline and ensuring continuity in national development.
Speaking at a stakeholder engagement on the bill, Dr Draman said public expenditure must be directly tied to clearly defined national priorities, arguing that every cedi spent should demonstrably advance the country’s development agenda.
“The cedi that we spend should be connected to the national plan,” Dr Draman stated.
“Every public official’s time and every dollar that is spent has to be related to the national development plan. You have to demonstrate how what you are doing contributes to the national vision,” he added.
The Bill
The bill seeks to amend the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921), to ensure that the annual budget is consistent with the National Development Plan.
Among other provisions, it requires the Minister for Finance to submit an approved fiscal strategy document to Parliament by the end of June each financial year and prohibits the inclusion of budget estimates from ministries, departments and agencies unless they are aligned with development plans approved by the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC).
Dr Draman commended the introduction of the fiscal strategy document ahead of the national budget presentation, adding that this practice is already standard in several countries, including some of Ghana’s francophone neighbours.
“We have moved budgeting from a simple accounting exercise to a strategic tool that is used to advance national development,” he said.
“In many countries, the fiscal strategy document comes to Parliament before the minister presents the budget. It ensures that Members of Parliament are carried along,” he stated.
He observed that in Ghana and many other jurisdictions, legislators often see the budget for the first time when it is formally presented in Parliament.
“These are the representatives we have elected.
They must not be spectators in such a critical national exercise,” he added.
Dr Draman, whose organisation serves as the secretariat for the West African Public Accounts Committees (WAPAC), noted that Ghana had previously considered similar reforms but failed to implement them. He praised current efforts, describing them as “better late than never.”
Politics
Beyond technical reforms, the ACEPA executive director also addressed what he termed the “politics” surrounding public financial management.
He stressed the need to insulate key institutions such as the NDPC from partisan interference to ensure policy continuity.
“My dream is that one day we will get to a point where the National Development Planning Commission is truly a technical commission, devoid of all the politics around it,” he said. “How do we get to a point where any government that comes into power can work with a commission that exists?
Then we can have continuity.
Drawing from international examples, Dr Draman cited Canada’s approach to appointing the Auditor-General, which involves broad stakeholder consultation before the Prime Minister makes the final appointment.
He said such inclusive processes reduce political tensions and enhance institutional credibility.
“When key stakeholders are involved and there is broad consultation, it takes away the politics that disturb some of these important positions,” he explained.
He further cautioned that the proposed reforms under the amendment could face resistance, particularly where they are perceived as curbing the existing powers of certain offices.
Source: Samuel Duodu, Daily Graphic
