Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the Minority Leader, has described the 2027 Budget as another round of political slogans.
He accused the Mahama administration of failing to provide clear evidence of job creation or meaningful improvements in the living conditions of Ghanaians.
Afenyo-Markin said the government had placed too much emphasis on economic figures and its proposed New Economy agenda without showing how these initiatives would tackle unemployment and the rising cost of living.
Speaking to journalists after Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson presented the 2027 Budget Statement and Economic Policy to Parliament on Thursday, November 12, Afenyo-Markin argued that the Mahama administration was yet to demonstrate that its promises were translating into opportunities for ordinary citizens.
He stated, “Let Ghanaians know that this NDC government is a sloganeering government. What they came to do was to subject us to another round of slogans and no jobs”.
Afenyo-Markin argued that the government could not address unemployment through political messaging while many Ghanaians continued to struggle with the cost of living.
“You cannot rebrand unemployment. They cannot slogan away the cost of living,” he added.
He also questioned the government’s financial commitments, particularly its ability to settle outstanding payments to public sector workers while meeting obligations under the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP).
“They claim that they have money to pay domestic debt exchange programme bondholders, those whose savings were postponed and whose payments were deferred. They say they have money to pay. That is good news. We welcome that,” he said.
“But the question is: where is the money to pay JUSAG, the money to pay teachers, the money to pay nurses, and the money to recruit?”
He further challenged the government to provide figures showing the number of jobs created under its administration, insisting that economic performance should be measured by tangible opportunities rather than statistics.
“They haven’t been able to tell us how many jobs they have created. Ghanaians want jobs, jobs, jobs. We are not interested in data. We are not interested in a paper economy. We are not interested in what they call a New Economy,” he stated.
He maintained that favourable economic indicators would have little meaning to citizens if they did not result in employment, improved incomes and better living conditions.
Afenyo-Markin also criticised the government’s handling of promises to women and traders, particularly the proposed bank intended to provide financial support to women-owned businesses and traders.
He further questioned the progress of the 24-hour economy initiative, arguing that the administration had failed to deliver on key campaign commitments.
The Minority Leader said the latest budget had done little to address the concerns of Ghanaians, maintaining that the government needed to move beyond slogans and demonstrate concrete results in job creation and economic relief.
Minority MPs in Parliament chant “Wo de cocaine abao, cocaine abao, 24-hour economy” during the Finance Minister’s presentation of the 2027 Budget Statement. https://t.co/d0CokLomhR
— GHnow (@ghnow_) November 12, 2026
