Ghana’s Parliament is expected to hear the 2027 Budget Statement and Economic Policy at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 12, after Speaker Alban Bagbin approved a request to schedule the presentation for the evening.
Bagbin announced the possible change in timing during parliamentary proceedings on Tuesday, November 10. The budget is to be presented by Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson. Ghana News Agency reported that the presentation may begin at 6:00 p.m. instead of the previously approved 2:00 p.m. sitting time.
The announcement adjusts the timing, rather than the date. Parliament had already scheduled Forson to present the budget on November 12. Majority Leader James Agalga gave the date to the House the previous week, in line with Article 179 of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution, which requires the government to submit its budget estimates and economic policy to Parliament for consideration.
The shift to an evening presentation follows a recent change to Parliament’s regular sitting schedule. Bagbin told MPs that sittings would begin at 2:00 p.m. from Tuesday to Friday, a timetable intended to leave mornings available for committee work. In response to a question from Tolon MP Habib Iddrisu about how the new schedule would apply to the budget reading, Bagbin said the House could adjust its hours for major national business.
According to GNA, the Speaker said he had approved Forson’s request for an evening presentation after the minister gave reasons for seeking the change. Bagbin did not disclose those reasons publicly. He indicated that Parliament would adjust its Thursday schedule so MPs would not have been sitting for hours before the minister’s arrival.
The planned 6:00 p.m. start is therefore a special arrangement for the budget, rather than a reversal of the new general sitting timetable. The timing is described in the available reports as expected or possible, while the Finance Minister’s appearance on Thursday, November 12, had been scheduled in advance.
The budget presentation is a key stage in the government’s annual fiscal process. Forson is expected to set out the government’s revenue estimates, expenditure plans and economic policy for the 2027 financial year. Parliament will then consider the proposals, debate the policy direction and scrutinise allocations for ministries and state agencies.
The announcement comes as lawmakers prepare for more than the budget reading itself. Agalga said six ministers were expected to answer 53 parliamentary questions during the week ending Friday, November 13, and that the House would also consider government business, including bills, motions and policy statements. He urged ministries and public bodies to submit their estimates in time for parliamentary review.
Forson’s budget presentation will also be followed by a post-budget workshop for MPs and other stakeholders, scheduled for November 15 to 17 in Ho, according to 3News. The workshop is intended to give legislators an opportunity to examine the proposals and their implications before the next stages of parliamentary scrutiny.
The title “The New Economy” has been used in coverage of the upcoming budget. However, the full spending and revenue proposals will only be clear once Forson presents the statement. Until then, the timing announcement provides a confirmed date and an anticipated start time, but does not reveal the budget’s final allocations or policy measures.
For now, Parliament is preparing to receive the Finance Minister at about 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. The House’s adjustment is meant to accommodate the evening presentation while preserving time earlier in the day for parliamentary work. The announced schedule gives MPs, public agencies and the public a clearer expectation of when the government will present its fiscal plans for 2027.
