Finance and Agric Ministries in GH¢1.6bn Budget Dispute for 2026
Gladson Afriyie
Journalist
Advertisement
A row has broken out between the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture over how much funding has actually been released for agriculture in 2026, with both sides quoting conflicting figures.
The Finance Ministry says it has disbursed over GH¢1.6 billion to MoFA this year. That represents about 85% of the ministry’s 2026 allocation for Goods and Services and Capital Expenditure. It breaks down as 94.73% released for Goods and Services and 74.66% for CAPEX, which it calls evidence of strong budget execution.
According to Finance, all the releases — except money to the National Food Buffer Stock Company — were initiated by MoFA itself through the Ghana Integrated Financial Management Information System. Each transaction, it said, has requisition dates, journal numbers, approval dates, and warrant numbers in line with standard public financial management practice.
But MoFA is pushing back. It says the GH¢1.6 billion figure does not match official budget documents from the Finance Ministry. MoFA points to a Commitment Authorization issued on February 15, 2026, and a First and Second Quarter Budget Allotment Letter dated February 19, 2026, which it says capped its total spending for the first half of the year at GH¢910 million.
The accompanying allotment schedule, MoFA argues, limited actual spending from January to June 2026 to about GH¢453 million. That covers staff compensation, operations, and contracts.
MoFA listed its programme allocations: Farmer Service Centres at GH¢172.5 million, Nkokonkitinkiti Programme GH¢36.75 million, Fertiliser and Certified Seeds GH¢77.3 million, Feed Ghana Programme GH¢4.5 million, National Food Buffer Stock Company GH¢30 million, and irrigation infrastructure GH¢26.25 million.
The ministry insists it has received no further authorisation from Finance to support the GH¢1.6 billion claim. It argues that public financial management is based on official allotments and cash releases, not public statements.
“For the avoidance of doubt,” MoFA said it has attached the relevant Commitment Authorization letters and allotment documents to show spending was capped at GH¢910 million for the first half of 2026.
MoFA’s media liaison officer, Samuel Huntor, said “the facts speak for themselves” and called for transparency and accuracy in reporting public financial data.
The dispute remains unresolved.
