BY Daniel Bampoe
The Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has vehemently rejected the 2026 Budget Statement and Economic Policy presented by the NDC government, labeling it a “cut-and-paste” document that fails to offer a new policy direction for the country.
At the same time, he accused the National Democratic Congress government of enabling illegal mining through its support of the Gold Board (GoldBod).
During a heated debate in Parliament on Thursday, Afenyo-Markin criticized the Ministry of Finance for submitting a budget with multiple errors and outdated information.
He pointed to inconsistencies in ministry references, questioning how the budget could list ministries such as the Ministry of Railway Development, the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, and the Ministry of Works and Housing, which have been either scrapped or renamed by the current administration.
“How can a budget claim the existence of ministries that no longer exist? This document has been brought to Parliament in the least prepared manner,” he asserted.
The Minority Leader argued that the 2026 Budget largely recycles policies from previous years, failing to introduce new strategies or reflect realistic economic planning.
He called for a properly prepared, factually accurate budget, insisting that the current document be withdrawn and resubmitted for parliamentary approval.
Alexander Afenyo-Markin also took aim at GoldBod, the government agency mandated to purchase gold from artisanal and small-scale miners.
He alleged that the budget’s provisions effectively endorse illegal mining by allowing GoldBod to buy gold without proper verification or traceability, thereby financing galamsey activities.
“This government has surrendered to galamsey activities. Instead of fighting illegal mining, it has become its enabler,” he stated.
Highlighting the human cost of the government’s alleged inaction, Afenyo-Markin recalled the deaths of eight personnel of the National Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (NAIMOS) during an operation to combat illegal mining.
He criticized the government for failing to demonstrate the commitment and seriousness necessary to protect those on the frontlines.
“Today, their own government is demonstrating neither seriousness nor commitment. Setting up GoldBod to buy gold from miners it cannot trace is designed for complicity rather than enforcement,” he added.
The GoldBod was established to stabilize the gold market and formalize small-scale mining, its current operations have sparked controversy.
But the Minority argue that purchasing gold without proper monitoring may worsen environmental degradation and embolden illegal miners, undermining efforts to combat galamsey.
The Minority’s dual criticism of the 2026 Budget and GoldBod reflects broader political and environmental concerns in Ghana. With the government positioning the budget as its roadmap for economic recovery and policy reforms, opposition lawmakers, civil society organizations, and environmental advocates are expected to intensify calls for accountability and reforms that ensure both fiscal discipline and effective regulation of the mining sector.
