Speaker Alban Bagbin has announced that the 2027 Budget Statement and Economic Policy will be presented to Parliament at 6 pm on Thursday, November 12 by the Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson.
Speaker Bagbin disclosed this in Parliament on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, saying he had approved a request by Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson for the presentation to take place in the evening.
He stated, “I granted the Minister for Finance that the budget, which is to be presented on Thursday, be presented in the evening. And he gave good reasons why he wants it to be presented in the evening”.
Alban Bagbin further disclosed that Parliament would adjust its sitting schedule to ensure members are not fatigued before the Finance Minister’s presentation.
“So on Thursday we will definitely adjust so that members don’t sit too early so that by the time he comes you’re already fatigued. And so Parliament may sit on Thursday around 6:00 p.m. so that we can prepare for his attendance,” he said.
In related news, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, the Minister of Finance, has assured Ghanaians that the government will not borrow loans to finance its proposed New Economy Programme.
The Finance Minister disclosed that the initiative will be funded through domestic revenue and savings from fiscal consolidation.
According to Ato Forson, the government plans to commit 1.5 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) annually between 2027 and 2030 to the programme without adding to the country’s public debt.
He made this known while responding to concerns about the source of funding for the programme during an interactive engagement with students and members of the university community at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
Ato Forson detailed that the funding would come from two main sources: an allocation of 0.5 per cent of GDP from government revenue and a reduction in the primary surplus target from 1.5 per cent to 0.5 per cent of GDP.
He revealed that the two sources would create the fiscal space needed to invest in the programme, with the total allocation potentially reaching at least US$13 billion over four years.
Ato Forson also clarified that GoldBod does not generate revenue for the Ministry of Finance or the government, adding that state finances are primarily supported by direct taxes, indirect taxes and non-tax revenue.
The Finance Minister also disclosed that the government would continue to honour its debt sustainability commitments by reducing public debt to 45 per cent of GDP by 2028.
Dr Ato Forson said improvements in Ghana’s primary balance demonstrate the government’s commitment to reducing public debt adding that the country recorded a primary surplus of 2.5 per cent of GDP in 2025, with a further surplus of 1.5 per cent projected for 2026.
According to Ato Forson, the two surpluses are expected to contribute to a cumulative debt reduction equivalent to approximately 4 per cent of GDP.
He detailed that from 2027, the government plans to moderate the pace of debt reduction to 0.5 per cent of GDP annually to create additional fiscal space for investments under the New Economy Programme.
He highlighted that the approach would allow the government to finance its economic transformation agenda while ensuring that public debt continues on a downward trajectory.
