Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, the former finance minister and Ranking Member on Parliament’s Finance Committee, has described the 2026 budget as a Kwashiokor Budget.
According to Amin Adam, the 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review confirms the NPP position that the budget was only bones, no meat.
Speaking to journalists on Thursday, July 24, after Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson presented the review to Parliament, Amin Adam stated, “This government, from what has been submitted in Parliament, can best be described as a talk-more-do-little government.
The review has confirmed our description of the original budget, the 2026 budget, as having only bones, no meat and, for that matter, can be described as Kwashiokor Budget”.
He further added, “The Minister tried his best to do what he does best, which is propaganda, but his own data gave him out, and his own data showed that the honeymoon is over and they are now faced with reality”.
Amin Adam highlighted that the 2026 Budget Review did not contain enough policies or programmes to deliver significant improvements in the lives of ordinary Ghanaians.
The former finance minister described the budget as lacking substance, saying, “This budget is empty, and because it has no meat and they have no story, the Minister resorted to the blame game”.
Dr Amin Adam fired shots at the government for consistently blaming the previous administration since assuming office in 2025.
“They have been doing this blame game from the time they assumed office in 2025, and after 18 months in government, they are still doing the blame game,” he added.
“The Ghanaian people voted for them to deliver just that and not to blame the previous government,” Dr Amin Adam said.
Meanwhile, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, the Finance Minister, has assured Ghanaians that their money is safe under the current Mahama government.
Ato Forson pledged to manage public finances with honesty, prudence and unwavering accountability.
According to Ato Forson, the ultimate responsibility of a Finance Minister is not measured by the volume of government expenditure but by how effectively public resources are safeguarded.
Delivering the closing remarks of the 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review in Parliament on Thursday, July 23, Dr Forson stated, “The true measure of a Finance Minister is not how much he spends, but how faithfully he protects the resources entrusted to him”.
“The money we manage does not belong to those entrusted to manage it. It belongs to the people of Ghana – it belongs to you!” he declared.
“Every cedi collected in taxes, every cedi borrowed and every cedi spent carries with it a sacred obligation to use it wisely, honestly and always in the national interest”.
“My assurance to this House and to every Ghanaian is simple: your money is safe”, he added
Ato Forson added that under Mahama’s administration, the government remains committed to maintaining sound economic management and protecting the country’s financial stability.
“Under the leadership of President Mahama, your economy is in safe hands. And as long as I have the honour to serve as Minister for Finance, it will remain so.”
“I pledge to level with you always. We will tell you the truth about the state of our public finances, whether the news is welcome or difficult.”
“We will neither conceal our challenges nor exaggerate our successes.”
“Trust is built on truth, and truth must remain the foundation of sound economic management.”
“Our responsibility now is not merely to celebrate these gains but to preserve them for future generations.”
“Economic stability is not an event. It is a duty renewed every day through prudent stewardship, fiscal discipline and unwavering accountability.”
“Under the leadership of President Mahama, and with the determination of the Ghanaian people, Ghana is moving forward, steadily, honestly and together,” he concluded.
Watch the video below:
@ghnow_ “The Budget can best be described as a Kwashiokor Budget.” — Hon. Amin Adam, former Finance Minister, reacting to the 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review. #GHnow #fyp ♬ original sound – GHnow
@ghnow_ “GoldBod is incurring a lot of losses. The day Ghanaians open and lift the veil on GoldBod…” — Hon. Alexander Afenyo-Markin at the 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review. #GHnow #fyp ♬ original sound – GHnow
