The Institute for Economic Research and Public Policy (IERPP) has criticized the government over the lack of updates on its flagship programmes in the mid-year budget review presented to Parliament last Thursday.
In a press statement on Sunday, July 26, the think tank described the absence of updates on programmes such as the 24-Hour Economy and Nkonko-Nkitinkiti as conspicuous.
“Among the most conspicuous gaps is the silence surrounding the government’s own flagship programmes, which appear to have gone from loud promises to silent whispers,” it said.
According to the IERPP, the 24-hour economy programme, which the National Democratic Congress (NDC) promoted while in opposition as a major solution to unemployment, received an allocation of GH¢110 million in the 2026 budget presented to Parliament in November 2025.
However, the institute noted that the mid-year review provided no information on the number of jobs created, the number of workers currently employed under the initiative, or the companies participating in its implementation.
IERPP also raised concerns about the absence of updates on the Nkonko-Nkitinkiti programme, which was allocated GH¢245 million to revitalize Ghana’s poultry industry, create jobs, and reduce reliance on imported poultry products.
It said the review was silent on the programme’s implementation and impact, leaving unanswered questions about its progress.
The institute argued that by failing to account for these flagship initiatives, the government had denied Ghanaians the transparency and accountability needed to assess their performance.
“Citizens deserve transparency and accountability, not silence, on the true state of these initiatives,” it continued.
The IERPP also questioned the government’s presentation of Ghana’s public debt, contending that the reported decline in the debt-to-GDP ratio does not present the full fiscal picture.
While the mid-year review states that public debt declined from 61.8 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at the end of 2024 to 45.0 percent by June 2026, the institute stressed that the figure represents a ratio rather than the country’s total debt stock.
Citing Bank of Ghana data, the IERPP said total public debt increased from GH¢663.4 billion in January 2026 to GH¢720.8 billion by May 2026, an increase of approximately GH¢57 billion within five months. It added that the May figure is almost unchanged from the GH¢726 billion recorded in December 2024.
According to the institute, this suggests that Ghana’s overall debt burden has not significantly improved despite the lower debt-to-GDP ratio.
“What emerges, therefore, is a gloomier reality masked beneath a seemingly attractive debt-to-GDP ratio,” the statement added.
The IERPP called on the government to publish both the debt-to-GDP ratio and the absolute public debt figures together to provide citizens with a more complete and transparent assessment of the country’s fiscal position.
