ACCRA, Jan 3 – Ghana’s parliament has passed a provisional budget of 68.1 billion Ghanaian cedis ($4.65 billion) to fund government operations through March, narrowly avoiding a government shutdown.
Parliamentary Speaker Alban Bagbin confirmed the approval, which followed a late-night session on Thursday. The budget faced delays due to a standoff over whether the outgoing New Patriotic Party (NPP) or the incoming National Democratic Congress (NDC) held a parliamentary majority.
Outgoing President Nana Akufo-Addo, nearing the end of his eight-year tenure, was scheduled to deliver his final state of the nation address on Friday. President-elect John Dramani Mahama, who won the December 7 election, is set to take office next week, marking his return to leadership after serving as president from 2012 to 2016.
Finance Minister Mohammed Amin Adam assured lawmakers that the late approval would not disrupt government operations. A significant portion of the budget is allocated to settle energy-sector arrears, which Mahama has previously identified as a critical issue, with debts exceeding $2.5 billion.
