Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson presents the 2027 Budget Statement and Economic Policy to Parliament today, Thursday, November 12, at 6pm Ghana time.
Ahead of the reading, the Minority has asked Speaker Alban Bagbin to review one of his rulings on how the Budget is presented, Prime News Ghana reports.
The Minority's motion
According to Prime News Ghana, the First Deputy Minority Whip, Habib Iddrisu, moved a Private Members' Motion seeking a review of the Speaker's earlier ruling on the form in which the Budget Statement is presented on the floor of the House. Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin seconded it.
The ruling, made by Mr Bagbin last year, allowed the Finance Minister to present the Budget before the House decided whether it should be debated as a statement or as a motion.
The Minority argues that the House must make that determination before the Budget Statement is presented, not after, Prime News Ghana reports.
What the Speaker said
Prime News Ghana reports that the Speaker asked to know the subject matter being discussed, and that Mr Iddrisu then raised a point of order.
The Speaker was not satisfied with the explanation from the Minority front bench, according to the report, and asked that the application be reconsidered with further particulars before it can be debated and ruled on. The motion has therefore not yet gone to a substantive debate.
GhEcho has not seen a direct quote from the Speaker, Mr Iddrisu or Mr Afenyo-Markin on the motion, and Prime News Ghana does not say on which day it came up.
Forson's jobs warning
The Budget comes a day after Dr Forson warned that youth unemployment could become a serious threat to stability.
Speaking to the National House of Chiefs in Kumasi on Wednesday, as part of consultations ahead of the 2027 Budget, he said: "Employment is something that every young person is asking for. If we fail to act today, the challenge could grow into an explosive social crisis," the Ghana News Agency reported.
"We must act now to turn our youth's abilities into productivity and their unanswered hopes into opportunities," he added, according to GNA.
He called for a shift towards industrialisation, production and sustainable job creation, saying Ghana could not rely solely on temporary relief measures.
What to watch
The Minority's push on procedure, the Minister's stated focus on jobs, and the government's earlier promise of no new taxes will all be tested when the Budget is read this evening.
GhEcho will carry the key points from the Budget after the reading.