2027 Budget: Ato Forson pledges disciplined use of fiscal space to create jobs and boost production

Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson says the government must use every cedi of fiscal space to generate jobs, strengthen domestic production and create lasting value for Ghanaians.

Presenting the 2027 Budget to Parliament on Thursday, November 12, 2026, he said the government's economic recovery had created an opportunity that must be directed towards productive investment.

“Every cedi of that space must answer a national question: What jobs will it create? What import will it replace? What export will it generate? And what lasting value will it leave behind? Our economic programme, the New Economy, provides that answer,” he said.

Dr Forson said the government had a moral obligation to use the fiscal space responsibly and ensure that the benefits of economic recovery translated into improved livelihoods.

The Finance Minister said Ghana had previously created fiscal space but failed to channel it consistently into investments capable of transforming the economy.

He noted that after immediate economic pressures eased, scarce resources were often spread across competing demands, while projects were initiated without rigorous appraisal.

“Once the immediate pressures eased, scarce resources were spread thinly across competing demands. Projects multiplied without rigorous appraisal, and short-term consumption crowded out investment in productive capacity,” he said.

“We repaired the public finances, but we did not use that recovery to alter the structure of our economy.”

He said the government's New Economy programme was intended to address that weakness by linking fiscal stability to production, employment and long-term economic value.

Dr Forson also acknowledged the sacrifices households had endured during periods of economic instability.

He said the value of the recovery would ultimately be measured by whether it improved people's lives through employment, higher incomes and greater economic opportunities.

“No statistic can refund the years families lost to instability. Their sacrifices will be earned when we restore stability—when stability becomes production, jobs, rising income, and opportunities,” he said.

The Finance Minister said Ghana's gross international reserves had increased to the equivalent of 5.7 months of import cover.

He said the improvement provided households and businesses with greater certainty and gave the country room to plan beyond immediate economic pressures.

“These gains give households greater certainty, allow businesses to plan, and create room for Ghanaians to think beyond the next emergency and crisis,” he said.

Parliament is expected to begin debate on the 2027 Budget in the coming days, with the Appropriation Bill to follow.