Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Mahama, says he will scrap wasteful projects, including the "One Village, One Dam" initiative, and invest the money into projects that would generate more revenue for the state.

According to him, the current economic crisis the country faces requires strategic decisions, including cutting government expenditure.

However, he said the current government has failed to cut down on expenditure and is only concerned with increasing revenues.

John Mahama said when given the political mandate, he would “eliminate all those wasteful projects, One Village One Dam and all those things that they spend billions on. So that we can use that money in the more productive sectors to make the economy grow again,” he said.

But Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, who is seeking to succeed President Akufo-Addo, insists that their government has prudently managed the economy despite external challenges and has even cut expenditure.

"Global events in the past three to five years have had a significant impact on nations and their citizens, and our country has not been spared. This has led to a series of uncomfortable situations for our citizens. Even though we are not yet where we want to be, which is back to the economic boom we experienced a few years prior to the crisis, data shows that our economy is on the path of recovery," he told Muslims at the Eid-ul-Adha prayers on June 16.

Dr Bawumia added that the government has significantly cut down on general expenditure.

Data from the Finance Ministry revealed that the total budgetary allocation is pegged at GH₵259 billion.

Joy News Research Desk found that between 2023 and this year, government’s expenditure budgetary allocation is up by 25.73%.

However, this is relatively lower compared to the 41.6% rise between 2022 and 2023.

Also, the research desk found that budget allocations to some sectors have increased.

See table below;

ITEM	2023	2024	VARIANCE
Roads infrastructure	₵2.64 b	₵3.51 b	₵870 m
Free SHS	₵2.6 b	₵2.77 b	₵170 m
Planting for Food and Jobs	₵660.56 m	₵700 m	₵40 m
1D1F	₵200.42 m	₵123.48 m	₵-76.94 m
Regional Reorganisation and Development	₵38.8 m	₵60 m	₵21.2 m
Nursing and Teacher trainee allowances	₵507.11 m	₵931.74 m	₵424.63 m