The Deputy Minister of Finance, Thomas Nyarko Ampem, has dismissed claims that Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson is refusing to release funds to some government ministries, describing such assertions as “laughable.”
According to him, the government has continued to release funds to ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) in line with approved budgetary allocations while maintaining prudent economic management.
Speaking in an interview on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen show, Mr. Ampem said the Finance Minister remains committed to Ghana’s development agenda and would not deny any ministry funding out of personal interest or vendetta.
“It is laughable to say that Ato Forson is not releasing funds to certain ministries. Every ministry has received its funds. Even the Ministry of Education has received 4.5 billion cedis from us,” he stated.
He stressed that all funding requests that fall within the approved national budget are being honoured, adding that government has already carried out significant budget allocations for MDAs.
“If there is anyone who has Ghana at heart and is committed to the development of the country, it is Ato Forson. He isn’t petty, and there is no way he would refuse to release funds because of personal vendetta,” he said.
Mr. Ampem disclosed that close to 40 percent of the budgetary allocation for MDAs has already been released, insisting that no ministry has been denied funding.
“We have done budget allocations and there is no ministry that has not received its funds,” he noted.
Addressing concerns about delays in employing trained teachers and nurses, the Deputy Finance Minister acknowledged the existence of a backlog but explained that government is unable to absorb all qualified personnel onto the payroll at once due to financial constraints.
“There are genuine concerns about a backlog of trained teachers and nurses who are not yet on the payroll. We gave the Education Ministry clearance for about 7,000, but the numbers are more than that and we cannot accommodate all at once,” he explained.
He further revealed that aside from staff compensation, the government has released approximately GH¢4.5 billion to the education sector to support ongoing operations and programmes.
“Education alone, apart from staff costs, has received about 4.5 billion cedis, and we are on course,” he added.
Mr. Ampem reiterated that the Finance Ministry remains focused on prudent economic management while ensuring that key sectors continue to receive the necessary financial support.
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