Minority Blasts Mahama Over ‘Bloated’ GHS2.7bn Jubilee House Budget
Opposition MPs slam the 2025 budget allocation for the Office of Government Machinery, calling it excessive and a betrayal of Mahama’s ‘lean government’ promise.
- Minority questions why OGM’s budget has jumped from GHS326 million under NPP to GHS2.7 billion
- MPs criticize GHS70 million for research and GHS79 million for government communication.
- Critics argue Mahama’s ‘lean government’ pledge doesn’t match the soaring expenditures
The Minority in Parliament has fiercely criticized the Mahama-led government for allocating a staggering GHS2.7 billion to the Office of Government Machinery (OGM) in 2025, calling it an unjustifiable spike in expenditure.
They argue that this allocation marks a dramatic increase compared to the previous administration’s budget.
“During the NPP era, the Office of Government Machinery had a budget for compensation of GHS326 million, which covered development authorities, a national secretariat, and several agencies, including MASLOC and SIGA,” said Abena Osei Asare, MP for Atiwa East.
She expressed alarm over the drastic surge in the OGM budget, emphasizing that despite some agencies being removed from its scope, the allocation has ballooned to GHS2.7 billion.
“But here we are in 2025, where the compensation under OGM has shot up to GHS2.7 billion—from GHS326 million under a so-called bloated government to a ‘lean’ one with an even higher budget,” she added.
Tano North MP Dr. Gideon Boako also took a swipe at President John Dramani Mahama for allocating GHS70 million to the research department and GHS79 million to government communications at the Jubilee House.
“President Mahama is setting aside GHS50 million for goods and services for the research department and GHS20 million for capital expenditure. The Office of Government Machinery—maybe just a head and a few office assistants—is getting GHS70 million,” he criticized.
Boako further questioned the budget for government communication, led by Felix Ofosu Kwakye and deputized by Shamima Muslim, highlighting that its goods and services allocation alone stands at GHS8.8 million.
“Government communication, headed by Felix Ofosu Kwakye and Shamima Muslim, likely has a couple of research assistants scrolling through social media and responding to issues—yet they are getting a budget of GHS8.8 million.
“Perhaps they’ll use some of it to buy internet data to counter what the Minority is saying, but the total budget for this unit is GHS78.8 million,” he remarked.
Boako stressed that these allocations exceed the budgets of three or four ministries combined under the previous Akufo-Addo administration, contradicting Mahama’s pledge of a lean government.
“This is higher than the combined budgets of three or four ministries under President Akufo-Addo. Ghanaians didn’t vote for this,” he stated.
