Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has bluntly told Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson that Ghanaians are not interested in the books but are rather interested in the economy in their pockets.
According to Afenyo-Markin, Ghanaians are suffering, and even the NDC MPs who were praising Ato Forson are also hungry.
Speaking in contributing to the debate on the 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review presented by Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson in Parliament, Afenyo-Markin stated, “And finally, you claim you want a third term, third term, third term. You are not performing. You said third term… eh, I’m Ato Forson. You are here presenting a budget, and beneath it is a third-term agenda where you are going to spend money.
For people to be calling for a third term, we are watching you with eagle eyes. You won’t get the third term today or tomorrow; focus on the 24-hour economy. You promise one job, three shifts. You promise industrialisation. Ghanaian businesses have lost confidence in you. You cancel the 1D1F, which was creating opportunity for the private sector.
In its place, no policy alternatives. Electricity tariffs have gone up over almost 30%. Then you get up, you say you are promoting a 24-hour economy. You have sacked public sector workers. Many of the Ghanaian youth lost their jobs. You sacked them”.
He added, “Today you are here instead of promising to restore them into their rightful places in the job market. You are not doing so. Then you come, you say we should praise you. Who is going to praise you if you don’t pay and you are holding the money, and then you are there tightening belts and only paying your party members, then we should praise you?
We are not interested in the books. We are interested in the economy in our pockets. People are suffering, Mister Speaker. People need jobs. Your youth, even your MPs, they are praising you here. A lot of them are hungry. Your backbenchers, they can’t go back home. Your backbenchers and you here, you say we should praise you. We will not praise you. It is the same old story. As I stand here now”.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has announced that Ghana’s economy is now the eighth-largest economy in Africa.
The Finance Minister disclosed that Ghana’s economy, for the first time in history, has crossed the $100 billion mark.
Ato Forson disclosed that the milestone was driven by strong economic growth recorded since 2025.
He revealed that Ghana’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) expanded by 6.0% in 2025, representing the fastest economic growth recorded since 2019.
The Finance Minister added that non-oil GDP growth reached 7.6%, the highest rate in 14 years.
Presenting the 2026 Mid-Year Fiscal Policy Review in Parliament on Thursday, July 23, Dr Forson stated, “This demonstrates that Ghana’s recovery extends well beyond favourable commodity prices”.
“For the first time in our nation’s history, the size of Ghana’s economy exceeded 100 billion dollars, firmly establishing Ghana as a major emerging market economy,” he said.
Ato Forson disclosed that per capita income increased by more than $850 within a year, rising from $2,527 in 2024 to $3,385 at the end of 2025.
“These are not mere statistics,” he said.
“They represent higher incomes, stronger businesses, greater opportunities, and an economy with an enhanced capacity to invest in its people,” he added.
Also, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has said that three years ago Ghana could not borrow, but today the country has regained investor confidence.
He disclosed that after years of losing access to international capital markets, Ghana has regained investor confidence.
According to Ato Forson, although the market is calling, Ghana is not in a hurry to return to external borrowing.
Ato Forson attributed the renewed investor interest to fiscal consolidation measures and broader economic reforms implemented by the government.
He disclosed that Ghana’s economic credibility has improved significantly compared to the period when the country was effectively locked out of international capital markets.
Dr Forson said, “Mr Speaker, three years ago Ghana could not borrow from the international market at any price, but today the market is calling us, but we are not in a hurry”.
Ato Forson added that although investor appetite for Ghana has returned, the government will prioritise debt sustainability and economic stability.
The Finance Minister stressed that any future borrowing from international markets would be based on careful assessment of the country’s financial position and long-term interests.
Watch the video below:
You are not performing, yet you say you want a third term. We are watching you with eagle eyes. – Afenyo-Markin #UTVGhana pic.twitter.com/5mGemPyUfJ
— UTV Ghana (@utvghana) July 23, 2026
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