Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, the Majority Chief Whip and Member of Parliament for South Dayi, has said the ongoing public dispute between the Finance Ministry and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) over the release of funds for agricultural programmes is unfortunate.
According to the Majority Chief Whip, the Finance Ministry’s claims are accurate, noting that the release of funds by the Finance Ministry and the actual payment process are handled by the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department.
He argued that while the Agriculture Ministry may not yet have received the actual funds in its accounts, that does not necessarily mean the Finance Ministry had failed to make the releases.
Speaking on TV3’s Keypoint on June 6, 2026, Dafeamekpor explained, “When the Finance Ministry says it has made releases to Agric amounting to GH¢1.6 billion, representing about 85 per cent of the ministry’s budgetary allocation, they actually spoke the truth and provided documents to support that claim”.
“The releases go to the Controller, who then has to mobilise resources to make the actual payments. It takes some time because revenue inflows come in gradually. As for Finance, they have done their part”, Dafeamekpor explained.
He added, “I don’t think this is a matter that should have come into the public domain. The media liaison at the Agriculture Ministry should have engaged the relevant authorities because this is not how such matters should be handled within government”.
He, however, refuted claims that the disagreement reflected deeper tensions within the government,
The Majority Chief Whip described the incident as a “misjudgment” rather than evidence of any internal political conflict.
His comments follows the The Ministry of Finance has firmly reiterated that it has released more than GH¢1.6 billion to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA).
According to the Finance Ministry, the allocation to the Agric Ministry represents 85% of its 2026 budget allocation for Goods and Services and Capital Expenditure.
The Finance Ministry has since published official documents confirming over GH¢1.6 billion released to the Food and Agriculture Ministry.
“It further explained that all releases except funding to the National Food Buffer Stock Company were initiated by MoFA through standard procedures on the Ghana Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), with each transaction supported by requisition dates, journal numbers, approval dates, and warrant numbers” reports stated.
“This is clear proof that the Ministry of Finance has released over GH¢1.6 billion to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, representing 85% of MOFA’s 2026 budget allocation for Goods and Services and Capital Expenditure (CAPEX),” the ministry said.
“For Goods and Services, all the requests were initiated by MOFA itself, with the exception of the release made to the National Food Buffer Stock Company,” the statement said.
“As shown in the spreadsheet, every transaction is backed by a requisition date, journal number, approval date, and warrant number,” the ministry stated.
“The journal and warrant numbers are system-generated (GIFMIS). This is the standard process through which all ministries, departments, and agencies generate and process requests on GIFMIS.”
However, the Ministry of Agriculture quickly countered and disputed the claim, citing February letters capping early spending at GH¢453 million for goods and services, with no new authorisations since.
In a press release by Samuel Hunter, the Media Liaison Officer of the Minister for Food and Agriculture, called for a stop to the infantile propaganda before it explodes.
Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) in its release stated, “The attention of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) has been drawn to claims by the Ministry of Finance that it has released GH¢1.6 billion, representing 85% of MOFA’s 2026 budget allocation. These claims do not align with the official budget execution documents issued by the Ministry of Finance itself.
On 15th February 2026, the Ministry of Finance issued a Commitment Authorization to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture. However, just four days later, on 19th February 2026, the Ministry of Finance issued the 2026 First and Second Quarter Budget Allotment Letter, which explicitly stated that, notwithstanding the contents of the Commitment Authorization, MOFA’s total expenditure for the first half of the year should not exceed GH¢910 million.
More significantly, the accompanying allotment schedule further restricted actual spending between January and June 2026 to approximately GH¢453 million, covering all expenditures, including staff compensation, contract commitments, and operational activities’.
Watch the video below:
Rockson describes the rift between the Finance Ministry and Agric. Ministry was unfortunate.#TheKeyPoints #TV3GH pic.twitter.com/mzfS52PwfY
— #TV3GH (@tv3_ghana) June 6, 2026
