Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Baah Forson has pledged the government’s commitment to implement key recommendations from the two-day National Economic Dialogue held in Accra.
He stated that the final communique from the dialogue will serve as his “Bible” for shaping the 2025 budget and economic reforms.
During the closing session, Dr. Forson highlighted the strong alignment between the dialogue’s discussions and his initial presentation, emphasizing a shared understanding of Ghana’s economic challenges. “Most of the presentations feed into the first presentation I made. It clearly shows the connections and understanding that together we understand the situation and the problems of this country. What is left is the resolve to come together and fix it,” he said.
He acknowledged that while identifying solutions is crucial, implementation remains the biggest challenge and requires public support. “Implementation is the challenge; we can only implement as a government if we get the buy-in of the citizens,” he reiterated.
Dr. Forson announced that the 2025 Budget Statement and Economic Policy, incorporating many of the concerns raised during the dialogue, will be introduced on March 11. “Most of the concerns you’ve raised, you’ll begin to see them in the budget,” he assured participants.
He urged stakeholders to support the government in educating the public about the need for economic reforms. “We call on you to support the government in educating the public, for the public to understand that the time has come for us to reset and reform the economy. We’ve got to do this together,” he stated.
He emphasized the interconnectedness of various sectors and the necessity for comprehensive reforms, stating, “And so clearly, what I can say is most striking to me, particularly sitting there quietly, is that interconnectedness between the macro group to the private sector, to infrastructure, to all the other sectors, even to the governance and the corruption sub-sectors, is the need for us to do major reforms.”
Dr. Forson reaffirmed his commitment to implementing the dialogue’s key takeaways, stating, “So I will wait for the communique, and I can use the communique as my Bible, going into the preparation of the budget and to make recommendations to Cabinet for adoption and approval for us to input into the budget.”
