Omanghana
An independent fact-check has disputed a claim by Onua TV presenter Blessed Godsbrain Smart, popularly known as Captain Smart, that Ghana’s finance minister made history by presenting the 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review without requesting supplementary funding.
The assessment concluded that Captain Smart’s statement was inaccurate because several finance ministers—including Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson himself—have previously presented mid-year budget reviews without seeking additional appropriations from Parliament.
Captain Smart’s claim
Speaking during the July 27, 2026 edition of Onua Maakye, Captain Smart praised the government’s fiscal management and described the decision not to request extra funds as unprecedented.
“This is the very first time in the history of Ghana, from the time of Kwame Nkrumah till now, this is the very first time a finance minister has read a mid-year budget and hasn’t requested for supplementary budget,” he reportedly said.
However, a review of Ghana’s recent budget history shows that governments have repeatedly opted to operate within existing parliamentary appropriations.
Previous governments also avoided supplementary budgets
One clear example occurred in 2024, when then-Finance Minister Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam told Parliament that the Akufo-Addo administration would not request supplementary funds.
“We are not seeking supplementary funds in this mid-year review,” he said, adding that the government intended to be more efficient, strategic and deliberate with approved resources. Contemporary reports confirm that announcement.
Former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta also presented a number of mid-year reviews without seeking additional spending authority during his tenure.
The claim is further contradicted by Dr. Forson’s own record. During the 2025 Mid-Year Budget Review, he explicitly informed Parliament that the government was not requesting additional money under the Appropriations Act. The 2025 announcement was widely reported at the time.
The 2026 decision, therefore, may demonstrate continued expenditure control, but it is not the first of its kind in Ghana’s history.
Government maintains existing spending ceiling
Presenting the 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review to Parliament on July 23, Dr. Forson said the government would maintain its approved expenditure ceiling while reallocating resources to urgent priorities.
Among the measures announced was the redirection of GH¢576 million toward emergency flood response and mitigation. The amount included GH¢350 million for disaster interventions and GH¢226 million for additional flood-control projects.
The government also cited improving economic indicators, including inflation of 5.3% and first-quarter real GDP growth of 6.4%, as evidence that the economy remained on a recovery path.
Not requesting a supplementary budget, however, does not automatically mean the government has avoided all borrowing. A supplementary appropriation concerns authority to spend beyond an approved ceiling, while borrowing is a separate component of government financing.
Fact-check highlights need for historical accuracy
The assessment classified Captain Smart’s assertion as false because documented cases from 2024, 2025 and earlier years directly contradict the suggestion that the 2026 presentation was unprecedented.
Although the government may legitimately highlight its decision to remain within the existing appropriation, describing it as a first since Ghana’s independence exaggerates the policy’s historical significance.
The controversy has renewed calls for broadcasters and political commentators to verify fiscal records before presenting economic claims as established facts.
Source: Omanghana
