Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson has dismissed claims of a rift between the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) over the release of GHS1.6 billion, describing the controversy as a misunderstanding over public finance terminology.
Speaking on the Citi FM on Friday, July 24, Dr. Forson said there was no tension between the two ministries, explaining that officials had been referring to different stages of the government’s expenditure process.
“There is no problem. I think it’s a misconception that started when the Deputy Minister of Finance made a statement which the Ministry of Agriculture also responded to,” he said.
According to the Finance Minister, the disagreement arose because the Ministry of Finance spoke about “releases,” while officials from MoFA referred to “payments,” two distinct concepts within the government’s financial management system.
He explained that a release means funds have been allocated and made available to a ministry within the government’s financial system, whereas payment occurs only after the ministry completes the required administrative processes, including raising invoices and securing approval from the Controller and Accountant-General before drawing cash from the Consolidated Fund.
Dr. Forson said the budget only provides expenditure estimates based on projected revenues, meaning the Finance Ministry may release all or part of a ministry’s approved allocation depending on available resources.
He noted that once an allotment or release is made, it becomes the responsibility of the beneficiary ministry to complete the necessary procedures to access the funds.
The controversy began in June after Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Ampem Nyarko announced that government had released approximately GHS1.6 billion to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, representing about 85 per cent of the ministry’s 2026 allocation for Goods and Services and Capital Expenditure (CAPEX).
MoFA, however, disputed the announcement, stating that although the release had been approved, the ministry had not received the full amount referenced by the Finance Ministry.
Dr. Forson maintained that both sides were correct within the context of the terms they used and stressed that the disagreement was administrative rather than institutional.
According to figures from the Ministry of Finance, releases for Goods and Services have reached 94.73 per cent of the approved allocation, while Capital Expenditure releases stand at 74.66 per cent.
The issue sparked speculation of political rivalry because both Dr. Forson and Minister for Food and Agriculture Eric Opoku have been linked to possible future bids for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearership.
However, the Finance Minister rejected suggestions of any political undertones, insisting that the matter had “nothing to do with friction” between the two ministries and was simply the result of a misunderstanding of financial terminology.
