Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has accused Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson of scheduling Ghana’s 2027 Budget presentation for 6pm because he wants the public to be asleep.
Speaking in Parliament on November 11, the Effutu legislator questioned why Mr Forson had requested an evening sitting and asked what he was trying to avoid.
“We find it very strange that the Finance Minister has chosen 6 PM as the only time for him to come because he wants Ghanaians to be sleeping. He wants Ghanaians to be sleeping because, Speaker, he wants to come here at 6 PM. If he’s very clear on his mind, what does he to fear?
“But he has chosen to come here at night and the same tomorrow they are changing the currency; the same tomorrow they are doing two things,” Afenyo-Markin said.
Majority Leader James Agalga rejected the suggestion that the budget was being deliberately timed for when Ghanaians would be asleep. He said the Finance Minister would be attending the launch of new currency notes on November 12, alongside parliamentary and state officials.
“We are not intent on presenting a budget statement when the people of this country are asleep. That is not what we are intending to do.
“Mr. Speaker ruled in this House that henceforth sitting shall commence at 2 PM. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow there is an important state function. We are launching new currency notes,” Agalga said.
He added: “We all know that the Finance Minister plays a critical role so far as the finances of our country are concerned and therefore would be in attendance when the notes are being launched. In fact, I am confident that Mr. Speaker himself has been invited and we grace the occasion. Yes. As Majority Leader, I have been invited. So, I am sure my colleague himself has been invited.”
Budget and parliamentary timetable
Forson is due to present the 2027 Budget Statement and Economic Policy to Parliament on Thursday, November 12, at 6pm.
Speaker Alban Bagbin said on Tuesday, November 10, that he had approved the change from a regular daytime sitting after receiving compelling reasons from Forson, although he did not disclose those reasons. Agalga had already announced November 12 as the presentation date.
The budget, titled “The New Economy”, is expected to outline revenue targets, spending priorities and job-creation measures. Article 179 of the 1992 Constitution requires the Finance Minister, acting for the President, to present estimates of the following year’s revenue and expenditure. The Public Financial Management Act requires the budget to be presented by November 15 each year.
Forson has described the government’s New Economy programme as a four-year plan to transform Ghana’s economy. Speaking to the National House of Chiefs in Kumasi, he said persistent youth unemployment threatened national stability unless Ghana moved towards a private sector-led, production-focused economy.
The programme has been valued at US$10 billion. The Minority is seeking a costed breakdown showing the contributions expected from the budget, private investors, public-private partnerships and borrowing. A KPMG pre-budget survey cited by former Finance Minister Dr Mohammed Amin Adam found that 71% of Ghanaians identified jobs and youth employment as a national priority, while 54% named the high cost of living.
From Tuesday to Friday, Parliament will now begin plenary sittings at 2:00pm, leaving mornings for committee work, including bills, public inquiries and consultations. Under Standing Orders 5 and 55, sittings will last five hours and normally end at 7:00pm, although the Speaker can change the timetable for special business.
The Bank of Ghana will launch its Heritage Series banknotes at Bank Square, Accra, on Thursday, November 12, 2026. President John Dramani Mahama is scheduled to unveil them at 10:00 a.m., before the budget presentation.
The series includes GH¢1, GH¢2, GH¢5, GH¢10, GH¢20, GH¢50, GH¢100 and GH¢200 notes, including the return of the GH¢2 note. The Bank of Ghana says the exercise is not a redenomination: existing notes will remain legal tender and circulate alongside the new series.
The notes are expected to enter circulation in the first week of December, allowing banks to calibrate ATMs and cash machines and conduct public education. The launch date was retained despite the clash because foreign guests, including officials from the printing company, had already booked flights and accommodation.
