Otabil, Adei dine with Ofori-Atta over 2017 budget

Finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta has revealed that he has met up with the ICGC founder Dr. Mensa Otabil and other high profile Ghanaians as he prepares for his budget presentation in Parliament next month.

Mr. Ofori Atta is set to present the government’s first budget since they won the 2016 elections. He has promised the budget will offer relief to businesses and also create a conducive environment for entrepreneurship.

Speaking at a forum in Accra, Mr. Ofori Atta said he will take risks in the budget despite the financial challenges facing the country.

“My challenge is to free the economic space so that people can use the genius of the entrepreneurship that we know is deeply embedded in us; and I have been asking myself how I am going to do all that. So yesterday for example, after realising that you are moving into the calculus of the numbers, I called a breakfast meeting in the morning with Otabil and Stephen Adei and Patrick and I asked; guys what are the bold things we should do in this budget. I think we need to think out some risks, some bold and imaginative risks,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Ofori Atta also gave the assurance that government will not touch the Heritage fund as it explores ways to finance the free SHS policy.

“We are financing the Free SHS education without looking at the Heritage Fund.
We are not touching the Heritage Fund. I think we have enough resources from our envelope to be able to do it without touching the Heritage Fund…We will not touch the Heritage Fund…there is going to be a budget allocation for that and it does not include the Heritage Fund.”