MoFA challenges Finance Ministry’s GHS1.6bn budget release claim; demands transparency
A fresh dispute has emerged within the John Mahama administration over the release of funds to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), exposing growing tensions between two key ministries at a time when political interest in the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) future leadership is beginning to intensify.
The controversy follows recent claims by the Ministry of Finance that it had released GH¢1.677 billion, representing approximately 85 percent of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture’s approved 2026 budget allocation for goods, services and capital expenditure.
The announcement, made by Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Nyarko Ampem and subsequently circulated through various government communication channels, was presented as evidence of the government’s commitment to transforming the agricultural sector through investments in mechanisation, irrigation, fertilizer support, food security interventions and the establishment of Farmer Service Centres across the country.
However, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture has strongly disputed the claim, describing it as inconsistent with official budget execution documents issued by the Finance Ministry itself.
In a strongly-worded statement titled “Stop the Infantile Propaganda Before It Explodes,” the Office of the Minister for Food and Agriculture accused the Finance Ministry of presenting figures that cannot be reconciled with existing budgetary authorisations and expenditure ceilings communicated to the ministry.
According to the statement signed by Samuel Huntor, Media Liaison Officer at the Office of the Minister, the Ministry of Finance on February 15, 2026, issued a Commitment Authorization to MOFA.
However, four days later, on February 19, the Finance Ministry issued the 2026 First and Second Quarter Budget Allotment Letter which imposed significant spending restrictions on the ministry.
The statement explained that despite the figures contained in the earlier Commitment Authorization, the allotment letter explicitly directed that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture’s total expenditure for the first half of 2026 should not exceed GH¢910 million.
Even more significantly, the accompanying allotment schedule reportedly limited actual spending between January and June 2026 to approximately GH¢453 million, covering all categories of expenditure, including compensation of employees, contract obligations and operational activities.
The Agriculture Ministry further disclosed details of the allocations approved for key programmes under the allotment schedule.
According to the figures released by MOFA, Farmer Service Centres were allocated GH¢172.5 million, while the Nkokonkitinkiti Programme received GH¢36.7 million. Fertiliser and certified seed interventions were allocated GH¢77.3 million, while the flagship Feed Ghana Programme was assigned only GH¢4.5 million.
The National Food Buffer Stock Company was allocated GH¢30 million, while irrigation infrastructure projects received GH¢26.25 million under the approved expenditure framework.
MOFA insists that since the issuance of the February allotment letter, it has not received any subsequent communication from the Ministry of Finance authorising additional expenditures that would justify the claim that more than GH¢1.6 billion has been released.
The ministry therefore questioned the basis of the figure being publicly communicated by the Finance Ministry.
“If the Ministry of Finance officially capped MOFA’s spending through its allotment system and has not issued any subsequent authorisation, where exactly is this GH¢1.6 billion figure coming from?” the statement queried.
The Agriculture Ministry argued that public financial management must be guided by official allotments, cash releases and legally authorised expenditures rather than what it described as public relations narratives.
It further maintained that transparency and accountability are essential, particularly in a sector as critical as agriculture and food security, which remains central to the government’s economic transformation agenda.
To support its claims, the ministry said it had attached copies of the Commitment Authorization letters issued by the Finance Ministry, together with the First and Second Quarter Budget Allotment Letter and the accompanying expenditure schedule.
The latest disagreement comes amid increasing public scrutiny over the pace of budget releases to ministries, departments and agencies under the current administration.
Over the past several months, concerns have been raised by some government institutions and stakeholders regarding delays in accessing approved funds needed to implement projects and programmes.
The Finance Ministry has consistently maintained that releases are being undertaken within the framework of prudent fiscal management and available resources.
The dispute has also attracted political attention because it involves two prominent figures increasingly mentioned in discussions surrounding the NDC’s future leadership.
Food and Agriculture Minister Eric Opoku recently publicly declared his readiness to contest the NDC presidential primaries should delegates consider him the best candidate to lead the party into the 2028 general election.
The Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson is likewise widely regarded as one of the leading figures expected to play a significant role in the party’s future succession contest.
While neither minister has publicly linked the budget dispute to internal party politics, political observers note that disagreements between ministries headed by potential presidential hopefuls are likely to attract heightened attention as discussions about the NDC’s post-Mahama leadership gradually gather momentum.
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