2027 BUDGET: AFENYO SLAMS ATO FORSON FOR OFFERING NO HOPE BUDGET TO GHANAIANS Minority Leader Osahene Alexander Afenyo-Markin has slammed finance Minister Dr. Ato Baah Forson for presenting no hope budget to Ghanaians as a whole. According to him, Ministers of the NDC government from their facial expressions shown that there is not hope to 2027 budget statements presented by finance Minister yesterday. “Some members of majority were wearing white dress, while others wear black, green, blue which indicates that their moral was very low”. He said . Speaking to media after the 2027 budget statements, the Minority Leader added that, the budget has given the true colours of NDC which has exposed them badly before Ghanaians. He emphasized how, the NDC who promised 24 hour economy, women banking and other flashy programes of the government did not even mention them in the budget. He disclosed that, the Minority will soon give a full critique to the budget and let Ghanaians to kn

*Gov't To Establish National AI Centre To Equip Youth With Digital Skills, Support SMEs* Government will establish a National AI Centre to provide high-performance computing, a secure data environment, advanced research technology, model testing, professional training and startup support. Mr Ato Forson said researchers, universities and public institutions will gain access to capabilities that many cannot afford individually. He added that, the national AI centre will provide high performance computing secure data environment, advanced research technology, model testing professional training and startup support. "Researchers, universities and public institutions will gain access to capabilities that many cannot afford individually." According to the Finance Minister, Priority will be given to AI applications in agriculture, health, energy, finance, logistics and public service. The Centre will equip young Ghanaians with practical skills in software development, data analysis,

*2027 Budget: Ghana Has Grown But Without Enough Resilience – Finance Minister* The Minister for Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, says Ghana’s economic growth over the past decades has not built enough resilience to protect livelihoods. Presenting the 2027 Budget Statement and Economic Policy in Parliament, Dr. Forson noted that while governments have built and businesses have grown, progress has often been interrupted by instability, changes in direction and the urgent work of repairing crises. He said Ghana has grown but has not built enough resilience into that growth. Between 1990 and 2025, he said, real GDP growth averaged 5.2 percent, a record which shows the country’s capacity for expansion but conceals the volatility within that growth. According to him, commodity upswings have lifted revenue and national confidence, but when prices dropped or fiscal discipline weakened, the economy came under pressure, with rising inflation, higher interest rates and declining investment.

*Ghana to Process 100% of Cocoa Locally by 2030, Ban Raw Cocoa Exports – Finance Minister* Government will process at least 50 percent of Ghana's cocoa locally by the end of 2028 and achieve 100 percent local processing by 2030, completing the transition towards a ban on raw cocoa exports. The Minister for Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, announced this when he presented the 2027 Budget Statement and Economic Policy in Parliament. He said the country's domestic processing capacity will move beyond primary grinding into cocoa liquor, butter, cake, powder, chocolate, cosmetics and other finished products. According to him, a country that grows the bean must retain a far greater share of the value created around it, with Ghanaian enterprises, researchers, brands and skilled workers participating fully in the value chain. Dr. Forson said the move will make agriculture a viable business, agro-processing and industry drivers of growth, and food security a source of national strength. H

*Ghana To Invest $200m In 24-Month Nuclear Readiness Programme, Train 2,000 Scientists* Government will invest $200 million in a 24-month nuclear readiness programme from January 2027 to December 2028, as Ghana moves decisively towards nuclear power. Mr Ato Forson disclosed this on the floor of Parliament, stressing that the goal is energy sovereignty with the state in control of generation and transmission. " Speaker, the goal is energy sovereignty. The government must have control over the generation and transmission of electricity for our economy. Through strategic investments, state-owned generation and stronger national transmission will secure our energy future and put the power to industrialize in the hands of the people of Ghana," he said. "Mister Speaker, this will also begin with Ghana's nuclear future with caution and purpose. "Mr Speaker, Ghana will invest two hundred million United States dollars in a twenty-four month nuclear readiness program from January twenty