Accra: The New Patriotic Party Minority Caucus in Parliament is set to introduce the Public Financial Management (Amendment) Bill, 2026, aimed at tightening fiscal discipline and enhancing accountability in public expenditure. The proposed Private Member's Bill seeks to amend the existing Public Financial Management Act to ensure that the disbursement of annual budgetary allocations is strictly aligned with national development priorities approved by the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC).
According to Ghana News Agency, Mr. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Ranking Member on Parliament's Economy and Development Committee and sponsor of the Bill, explained during a stakeholder engagement in Accra that the amendment would prevent the Minister for Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, from releasing funds to Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), as well as Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs), for projects not captured in the approved national development framework.
Oppong Nkrumah, also the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for the Ofoase-Ayirebi Constituency, stated that the objective of the Bill is to curb unplanned and discretionary spending outside the strategic development agenda. He emphasized that the amendment aims to deny the Ministry of Finance the opportunity to fund projects and programs not included in the strategic plan, except for contingencies or emergencies.
Mr. Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, the Clerk to Parliament, highlighted the importance of aligning the national budget with Ghana's development aspirations as outlined in Chapter 6 of the Constitution. Meanwhile, Mr. Camillo Pwamang, the Deputy Clerk to Parliament in charge of Legislative Management Services, noted that the proposed amendment would also ensure that annual progress reports on development programs are published before the issuance of expenditure warrants.
Pwamang further explained that by amending the PFM Act, the bill would make development plans duly approved by the NDPC the mandatory basis for preparing the annual budget. It also requires the publication of annual progress reports as a precondition for the inclusion of estimates in the budget and for the issuance of expenditure warrants.