Conflicting interpretations of government budget releases have sparked a public exchange between the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, with both institutions presenting sharply different accounts of how much money has been made available for the sector in 2026.
MoFA has challenged claims by the Finance Ministry that more than GH¢1.6 billion has been released to the sector, insisting that official budget documents indicate a much lower spending ceiling.
According to MoFA, a Commitment Authorization issued on February 15, 2026, was followed by a First and Second Quarter Budget Allotment Letter dated February 19, which capped the ministry’s expenditure for the first half of the year at GH¢910 million. It further stated that the accompanying allotment schedule limited actual spending between January and June to about GH¢453 million.
The ministry said the allocations covered key programmes, including Farmer Service Centres, fertiliser and certified seeds, irrigation infrastructure, the Feed Ghana Programme, the Nkokonkitinkiti Programme, and support for the National Food Buffer Stock Company.
MoFA maintained that it has not received any additional authorisation that would justify the Finance Ministry’s assertion that over GH¢1.6 billion has been released.
“For the avoidance of doubt,” the ministry said, it has attached commitment authorisation and allotment documents to support its position. Media Liaison Officer Samuel Huntor added that “the facts speak for themselves.”
The Ministry of Finance, however, has stood by its figures. It said records show that releases for Goods and Services have reached 94.73 percent of approved allocations, while Capital Expenditure releases stand at 74.66 percent.
“This is clear proof that the Ministry of Finance has released over GH¢1.6 billion to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture,” the ministry stated.
It further explained that, except for releases made to the National Food Buffer Stock Company, all funding requests were initiated by MoFA through the Ghana Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), with each transaction supported by requisition, approval and warrant records.
