President Nana Addo Dankwa
Akufo-Addo is considering three persons to present the 2021
Budget to parliament next week Friday, March 12, 2021.
They are the Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Trade Minister-Designate Alan Kyerematen and
Dr Owusu-Afriyie Akoto.
The leader of the majority
caucus disclosed this yesterday March 2, 2021, in Parliament.
This comes on the back of the
inability of the Finance Minister-Designate Ken Ofori-Atta to return on time
from his two weeks medical leave in the United States.
Meanwhile, Economist Prof. Eric
Osei-Assibey has stated that it is not against the constitution for another
person to read the budget on behalf of the Finance Minister.
“I am not too sure whether it
has happened in this country when the Finance Minister will not be available to
present the budget but it is not against the constitution in any way if you
look at Article 179 of the constitution under the authorization of expenditure,
it states clearly that the president shall cause to be prepared and laid before
parliament at least one month before the end of the financial year. An estimate
of the revenue and the expenditure of the government of Ghana for the following
Financial year and so it is definitely not out of place it is within the
president’s mandate to cause any of his lieutenant to present the budget on his
behalf and so whether the Finance Minister is available or not the president
can still go ahead and do that.” He said.
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