SEND Ghana recently hosted a dialogue with stakeholders and civil society organizations to discuss Ghana’s performance in the 2023 Open Budget Survey (OBS). The event aimed to promote accountability, transparency, and public participation in Ghana’s annual budget.
According to the OBS global report, Ghana’s public participation score is a mere 17%, indicating a lack of effective oversight by Parliament during the budget cycle. Harriet Nuamah Agyemang, Country Director for SEND Ghana, emphasized the need for citizens and CSOs to engage more actively in the budget process. She stressed that government should be transparent about its debt management plans and involve citizens in the budget cycle to ensure that resources are allocated effectively.
Ghana’s transparency score is currently 46%, ranking 70 out of 120 countries in terms of public access to information on government spending. The Public Financial Management Act, passed in 2016, aims to regulate public financial management and ensure accountability. However, Ghana’s debt-to-GDP ratio stands at 84%, with an estimated debt of $363 billion.
The Open Budget Survey provides recommendations for Ghana to improve public participation, including pre-budget deliberations, monitoring budget implementation, and engaging vulnerable communities. The report also urges the Ghana Audit Service to establish mechanisms for public contributions to audit investigations.”
By Samuel Baidoo
