Ghana sets out guidelines for 2013-2015 budget proposals for state agencies

Ghana’s Finance Ministry has circulated new guidelines to all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to enable them prepare their 2013 to 2015 budget proposals for a possible approval.

A circulation letter signed by Finance Minister Dr Kwabena Duffuor on behalf of the President, said the guidelines were in accordance with Article 179 (1) of the Constitution and Section 152(1) of the Financial Administration Regulations, and is to “inform the preparation of the Government’s Budget and Economic Policy”.

The guidelines deal with government’s spending, transaction, procurement activities among other budget related issues.

“Chief Directors are to ensure that all budget documents requested by the Guidelines should reach the office of the Director of Budget, (Room 417) Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning not later than Thursday, September 6, 2012 in both hard and soft copies,” text of the circulation said.

It added that Chief Directors are also to ensure that the content of these Guidelines is strictly adhered to and all issues therein addressed in their Draft Budget Estimates.

The Finance Ministry also stated that in line with the Constitutional provision relating to the submission of Draft Estimates to Parliament by November 30 as well as this year [2012] being an election year, the “full budget will be presented in the first quarter of 2013 whilst a three months estimates in lieu of appropriation will be presented in November, 2012”.

A detailed budget hearing timetable will be communicated to all MDAs in due course, Dr Duffuor said, according to the circulation.

By Ekow Quandzie