Austerity As Parliament Holds 2024 Post-Budget Workshop For MPs In-House

The economic challenges facing the country has compelled Ghana’s Parliament to backtracked on its earlier decision to hold the 2024 post-budget workshop for legislators at a hotel outside the capital, Accra in a quest to save money.

Instead, the legislature will host the exercise in-house as a cost-saving mechanism against its annual ritual of utilizing hotels outside the capital aimed at providing comfort and a congenial environment for the lawmakers to better appreciate the complexities of the budget statement and policy underpinnings from the technical experts at the finance ministry, academia and civil society as they explain the issues.

However, this year’s choice of either Rock City Hotel at Kwahu in the Eastern region or Volta Serene located at Ho in the Volta region for the exercise faced strong internal opposition by some lawmakers when it was announced last Friday for the legislative arm of government to cut cost by opting for an in-house session.

Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin who presented the business statement on Friday November 10, 2023 for this week had informed the House, that the workshop would take place at Rock City Hotel, located at Kwahu.

The Effutu lawmaker stated that, “The usual post-budget workshop would be organized to allow experts to elucidate further on the underpinnings of the Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government to Hon. Members. The workshop is expected to be held from Friday, 17 to Sunday, 19th November 2023, at the Rock City Hotel, Kwahu Nkwatia in the Eastern Region.”

Opposition

Member for Buem constituency, Kofi Iddie Adams who spoke against the hosting of the workshop outside parliament argued that the current economic challenges of the country makes imperative for the legislature to lead by example in holding the 2024 post-budget reading workshop for lawmakers within the precincts of parliament.

Mr Adams stated that in-house post-budget workshop will save the country some Ghc 1.4 million in accommodation just for MPs alone minus the staff, other auxiliary staff members, MPs body guards among others.

The House Speaker, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin presiding on Monday November 13, 2023 intervene by agreeing with the proposal for an in-house post-budget workshop for MPs citing the country’s current financial challenges.

Mr Bagbin expressed deep concern about the development emphasising public opposition to imposing additional financial burden on the state coffers through the workshop.

He clarified that the House did not decide on using Rock City Hotel as the venue for the post-budget review saying the presentation of invoices from Volta Serene Hotel in and Rock City indicated that the latter was too expensive.

“I believe that democracy has finally decided and the people have prevailed on their representatives to decide that this year’s post-budget workshop be held here in parliament. Reporting on Saturday early in the morning, we will use the floor of the house as the main conference,” he said

By: Christian Kpesese/www.eagleghana.com