The Ministry of Transport has dismissed allegations by the Minority in Parliament that it overshot its 2025 capital expenditure by nearly GH₵10 million.
In a statement to the media, the Ministry explained that the funds cited by the Minority were legitimately approved by the Ministry of Finance and used specifically to service loans contracted during the Akufo-Addo administration for the construction of Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) office complexes in Accra, Tema, and Takoradi.
Transport Minister Joseph Nikpe Bukari emphasized that the Ministry acted within the law and did not breach the Public Financial Management Act.
“The Ghana Maritime Authority in 2021–2022 contracted loans from Ecobank and other financial institutions, but repayment wasn’t catered for in the budget. The Ghana Maritime Authority wrote to me, and I coordinated with the Minister for Finance to allow us to service these loans,” he explained.
He clarified that the Ministry’s actions were limited to making provisions to continue ongoing construction projects initiated with the loans.
“The loans were taken to build the Tema office block, the Accra office, and the Takoradi office. We were simply ensuring the continuation of these projects,” he said.
Describing the overspending accusations as unfounded, Mr. Bukari added:
“It is not that we overspent. If you are not approved for any amount of money, you don’t have it in the first place. How do you overspend? The expenditure was within our budget, and Section 32 of the Public Financial Management Act allows any spending officer to write to the Minister of Finance to cater for daily operations.”
He reiterated that the Ministry’s expenditure remained fully within approved limits.
