Minority Leader Defends NPP’s Record in Mid-Year Budget Debate; Mahama Ayariga Fires Back Over Social Interventions and Roads The Minority Leader and Member of Parliament fo

Minority Leader Defends NPP’s Record in Mid-Year Budget Debate; Mahama Ayariga Fires Back Over Social Interventions and Roads The Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for Effutu, Hon. Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, has raised concerns regarding the 2025 mid-year budget review, accusing the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) of hypocrisy and misinformation. Speaking on the floor of Parliament, Hon. Afenyo-Markin criticized the NDC for blaming the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the country's current economic challenges, while simultaneously taking credit for the foundational economic measures implemented by the NPP government. He noted that the NDC’s narrative sought to paint the former NPP administration as fiscally reckless, citing exaggerated claims such as “ballooning deficits,” GH¢6 billion in arrears, and GH¢194 billion in contract commitments. He argued that the spike in Ghana’s deficit in 2020 was due to extraordinary interventions necessitated by the global C

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Published on 08/01/2025 10:11

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Minority Leader Defends NPP’s Record in Mid-Year Budget Debate; Mahama Ayariga Fires Back Over Social Interventions and Roads

The Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for Effutu, Hon. Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, has raised concerns regarding the 2025 mid-year budget review, accusing the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) of hypocrisy and misinformation.

Speaking on the floor of Parliament, Hon. Afenyo-Markin criticized the NDC for blaming the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the country's current economic challenges, while simultaneously taking credit for the foundational economic measures implemented by the NPP government. He noted that the NDC’s narrative sought to paint the former NPP administration as fiscally reckless, citing exaggerated claims such as “ballooning deficits,” GH¢6 billion in arrears, and GH¢194 billion in contract commitments.

He argued that the spike in Ghana’s deficit in 2020 was due to extraordinary interventions necessitated by the global COVID-19 pandemic and the banking sector clean-up, which were vital to protecting millions of Ghanaians. “If those emergency measures—such as the 60/40 financing ratio—had not been pursued, where would Ghana be today?” he asked. He further accused the NDC of mismanaging the banking sector and failing to act to safeguard depositors.

In response, Majority Leader and MP for Bawku Central, Hon. Mahama Ayariga, refuted the claims and defended the NDC’s record on social interventions. He emphasized that the focus should not be on which party initiated certain programs, but rather on who managed them effectively.

He asserted that under President John Dramani Mahama, the NDC showed unmatched commitment to social interventions by fully funding and maintaining consistent payments to statutory funds such as the GETFund, Common Fund, and NHIA. “That is what true commitment looks like,” Ayariga declared.

He also challenged the NPP’s claim that former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo constructed 13,000 kilometers of roads, describing it as a blatant falsehood. “No matter how many times a lie is repeated, it will never become the truth. Ghanaians know the reality of the roads in this country,” he said.

Report by PKB