Eastern Regional Minister Urges Assemblies to Prepare Realistic 2027–2030 Budgets

The Eastern Regional Minister, Mrs Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, has directed all 33 Municipal and District Assemblies in the region to align their 2027–2030 budgets with approved spending limits and realistic revenue projections to ensure effective use of public funds and improve service delivery.

She said the budgets must comply with public financial management, procurement and local government laws, and be captured using the GIFMIS Budgets Module, also known as Hyperion.

Mrs Awatey made the call at the Regional Composite Budget Hearing in Koforidua on Monday, where she addressed stakeholders on behalf of the Minister for Finance, Dr Ato Forson.

She explained that the four-day hearing provided an opportunity to assess the performance of the assemblies, review their development priorities and ensure that government policies and community needs were translated into properly costed and achievable programmes and projects.

The Regional Minister expressed optimism that the 33 Municipal and District Chief Executives would lead their respective Budget Committees to finalise the budgets for approval by their General Assemblies before submitting them through the Eastern Regional Coordinating Council to the Ministry of Finance by November 4, 2026.

The Regional Budget Analyst, Nii-Djeshie Douglas, urged the assemblies to provide clear accounts of their 2026 budget implementation, achievements and challenges, as well as performance indicators and proposed revenue and expenditure estimates for 2027–2030.

He said the presentations must follow the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Finance to ensure consistency and accountability in the budget preparation process.

Mr Douglas stressed the need for financial discipline, responsible planning and a focus on results, noting that credible budgets were essential for improving public service delivery and supporting development at the local and national levels.

The hearing forms part of a nationwide budget preparation exercise involving all 261 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) across the 16 regions from October 12 to 23, 2026.

The exercise is being conducted in accordance with Regulation 17(3) of the Public Financial Management Regulations, 2019 (L.I. 2378), which guides the preparation of composite budgets by local government authorities.

Faustina Naa Ayele Johnson, ISD