Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has dismissed suggestions of a disagreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture over allocations to the agricultural sector, describing the differing figures released by the two institutions as a misunderstanding arising from the distinction between budget releases and actual payments.
His clarification follows public debate over figures contained in the 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review after the Ministry of Finance announced that it had released GH¢1.677 billion, representing about 85 per cent of the agriculture sector’s budget for goods, services and capital expenditure during the first half of the year.
The Ministry of Food and Agriculture subsequently indicated that the actual cash available to it for spending during the period was about GH¢910 million, prompting questions about the apparent discrepancy.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on Thursday, July 23, Dr Forson said the two figures reflected different stages of the public financial management process and therefore should not be directly compared.
“It is difficult for you to reconcile or compare payment to releases based on the explanation I’ve given to you. The two are not the same.”
He stressed that a budgetary release authorised by the Ministry of Finance does not necessarily translate into immediate cash payments to a spending institution.
“The two are not the same. We are saying two different things. One is talking about releases and one is saying how much I have.”
The Finance Minister explained that while the Ministry of Finance reports funds released for expenditure, sector ministries may refer to actual cash received or utilised, accounting for the apparent differences in the figures presented.
He maintained that there was no dispute between the two ministries, adding that officials had since met to harmonise their understanding of the figures.
“I think it’s more about misunderstanding.”
Dr Forson said the Minister for Food and Agriculture had held discussions with officials of the Finance Ministry to clarify the issue, insisting that the matter had been resolved.
“No, there’s no issue. It is not an issue at all. We have since, um, had a discussion around it.”
He added:
“See, honestly, the minister for agriculture visited us to explain his side. We did also explain our side. There’s no issue at all.”
The clarification comes after the presentation of the 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review to Parliament on July 23, where the government outlined progress on fiscal performance, expenditure and sectoral financing, including allocations to agriculture, one of the priority sectors under its economic transformation agenda.
The exchange has also drawn attention to the distinction between budget releases approved by the Ministry of Finance and the actual cash disbursements received by spending agencies under Ghana’s public financial management system.
