Expect more good news in the mid-year budget – Mahama

• Posted on May 16, 2025May 16, 2025
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

President John Mahama has assured Ghanaians that more positive developments are on the way, with key economic updates expected in the upcoming mid-year budget review in August.

“I’m sure that by the time the Finance Minister returns to Parliament in August for the mid-year review, we’ll have even more good news for Ghanaians,” the President said during his ‘Thank You Tour’ in the Upper West Region.

He said early signs of economic recovery, including a stronger cedi and easing cost of living, are evidence that policy reforms and budget discipline are beginning to pay off.

“Our focus has been on stabilising the economy. We therefore presented to Parliament in March this year a budget aimed at severely trimming expenditure and channelling the saved revenue into priority programmes, as promised in our manifesto,” Mahama explained.

The President praised his economic management team, particularly the Minister of Finance and the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, for what he described as “close collaboration and coordination” in steering the recovery.

“I wish to commend the Minister of Finance and the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, along with their teams, for the coordination they are displaying in this economic turnaround,” he said.

Turning to infrastructure, President Mahama announced that Cabinet will soon approve a series of major national infrastructure projects under his administration’s flagship Big Push Programme, with roads topping the priority list.

“Cabinet will soon approve priority projects under the Big Push Infrastructure Programme. Understandably, a significant number of these will be in the road sector,” he revealed.

Key projects include the dualisation of the Accra-Kumasi, Accra-Takoradi, and Accra-Aflao highways, as well as major bridge works across the country. A new expressway between Accra and Kumasi is also in the works, expected to cut travel time between the two cities to just two and a half hours.

In the Upper West Region, the President said roads such as the Watumu–Bolgatanga Trunk Road will receive urgent attention.

“We are determined, under the guidance of the NDC’s 2024 manifesto, to bring transformational change to every corner of Ghana and especially to regions like the Upper West Region that have long been underdeveloped despite their huge potential,” he said.“During the campaign, we travelled on the terrible road network that has become characteristic of the Upper West Region. In this region, under the Big Push, we are prioritising the Watumu–Bolgatanga Trunk Road,” he said.

President Mahama reaffirmed the NDC’s commitment to delivering inclusive, transformative development across all regions of Ghana, with particular attention to historically neglected areas.

“We are determined, under the guidance of the NDC’s 2024 manifesto, to bring transformational change to every corner of Ghana and especially to regions like the Upper West Region that have long been underdeveloped despite their huge potential,” he said.