Vincent Ekow Asafuah accuses government of breaching financial laws over road projects

Member of Parliament for Old Tafo, Vincent Ekow Asafuah, has accused the government of acting unlawfully in granting multi-year expenditure approval for road projects without parliamentary authorization.

In a statement titled “Government of Illegality, Thievery and Hypocrisy,” the legislator described the move as a clear violation of the Public Financial Management (PFM) Act and the 1992 Constitution.

Mr Asafuah alleged that the Ministry of Finance has given approval to the Ministry of Roads and Highways to commit over GH¢50.9 billion for the “Big Push” programme over a three-year period from 2025 to 2027 without the necessary approval from Parliament.

He explained that although Parliament approved GH¢13 billion for the Big Push Project in the 2025 budget, the Finance Ministry went ahead to approve additional spending commitments for the next two years, an act he described as “blatant illegality.”

Quoting Section 33 of the Public Financial Management Act, the MP stressed that no government entity is allowed to enter into financial commitments that bind the state for more than one fiscal year without parliamentary authorization.

“This government’s quest to perpetuate illegality has reached a crescendo. The Ministry of Finance has acted in breach of both the PFM Act and Article 181 of the Constitution” Mr Asafuah stated.

He further warned that the move could worsen Ghana’s fiscal situation, noting that the government had already struggled to raise enough revenue to fund its projects.

“Given that only GH¢7.6 billion has been approved for 2025 against a GH¢13 billion budget, this government will most definitely accumulate arrears running into billions,” he said.

Mr Asafuah questioned the cost of certain road projects under the Big Push programme, citing the 71-kilometre Enchi–Elubo road, which he said would cost taxpayers about GH¢1.5 billion.

According to him, this translates to about US$1.7 million per kilometre, which he described as “excessive and unjustifiable.”

He accused the government of hypocrisy, comparing the current cost of road construction to what the ruling party previously criticized under the former administration.

“The same people who condemned the NPP for building a kilometre of road at one million dollars are now doing it for 1.7 million dollars. What kind of integrity is this?” he questioned.

Mr Asafuah called on the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and civil society organizations to take note of what he described as “reckless financial conduct” by the government.

He urged Parliament to assert its oversight authority and prevent further breaches of the law in public financial management.

By: Jacob Aggrey