The flagbearer of the Progressive Alliance for Ghana (PAG), Dr John Enyonam Kpikpi, has launched a scathing criticism of the 2027 Budget presented by Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, questioning the credibility of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government’s promises to transform Ghana’s economy.
Dr Kpikpi argues that neither the governing NDC nor the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) can deliver the economic transformation Ghana needs, insisting that both parties have had nearly 34 years of political control since the return to constitutional rule in 1992 but have failed to establish some of the country’s most basic economic foundations.
His criticism comes amid the government’s renewed emphasis on commercial agriculture, mineral value addition and the creation of a modern Ghanaian economy, which form key components of the 2027 Budget.
In his response to the budget, the PAG flagbearer questioned why the two dominant political parties should be trusted to deliver food self-sufficiency after decades of governing the country without establishing a comprehensive and sustainable national plan to achieve it.
“Both the NDC and the NPP have had this country to themselves since 1992: nearly 34 years. They could not get the basics of the nation in place — food self-sufficiency; not even any plan for it,” he stated.
He further took aim at what he described as the failures of previous agricultural interventions, citing the guinea fowl initiative and the Nkitinkitin programme as examples of the inability of the political establishment to deliver sustainable results.
“The feeble attempts they’ve made saw the guinea fowls flying across the border! And the Nkitinkitin has already failed,” Dr Kpikpi remarked.
Beyond agriculture, the PAG flagbearer questioned the government’s renewed commitment to mineral value addition, particularly in light of the controversy surrounding Ghana’s lithium resources.
He accused successive governments of ignoring calls for a stronger lithium agreement that would ensure the country retained a greater share of the economic benefits through local processing, value addition and participation.
According to him, the decision to proceed with the lithium arrangement despite concerns raised by critics exposes what he considers a fundamental contradiction in the promises contained in the latest budget.
“They rejected very strong calls not to throw away our lithium deposits to foreigners without value addition and a better contract that would retain the wealth here for the benefit of our peoples. They threw away our lithium anyway,” he said.
He questioned what had changed within the political establishment to make mineral value addition a major economic priority barely 12 months after, in his assessment, the country had missed an opportunity to secure a better deal for its lithium resources.
“Which light have they seen only 12 months later that is making them now talk about a mineral value addition economy?” he asked.
Dr Kpikpi maintained that Ghana’s natural resources had been compromised across successive administrations, arguing that the same political parties responsible for the country’s resource management decisions could not be relied upon to deliver a fundamentally different economic direction.
He also cast doubt on the government’s ability to translate its budget promises into practical outcomes, arguing that the problem goes beyond policy announcements to the credibility and political interests of those entrusted with implementing them.
“They are too deep into the bad old ways to be able to make any positive changes. All they have said will end at the talking stage; it cannot be implemented given the depth of their compromise,” he declared.
The PAG flagbearer consequently argued that Ghana’s economic challenges require a departure from the traditional NDC-NPP political contest rather than another round of promises from the two parties.
“We cannot build a new economy with the old compromised parties and personnel,” he stressed.
He called for a new generation of political leadership driven by integrity, fresh ideas and a commitment to ensuring that Ghana’s natural and economic resources work for the benefit of its people.
“We need new people to usher in the new transformations for our nation,” Dr Kpikpi stated.
He presented the PAG as the political alternative capable of delivering that change, declaring: “This is Dr John Kpikpi and the PAG Government!”
His response adds a critical political dimension to the debate surrounding the 2027 Budget, particularly the government’s ambitions to expand commercial agriculture, strengthen local industries and move Ghana towards an economy driven by domestic production and value addition.
