The spokesperson for the Alan Kyerematen campaign team, Yaw Buaben Asamoa, has explained why the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer aspirant has put on hold his campaign trip to the Ashanti Region.

According to him, the postponement has become necessary due to other important government and parliamentary activities that would be taking place within the period.

Mr Asamao indicated that the postponement is to prevent the campaign from interfering with public interest on the mid-year budget review that would be delivered to Parliament on Monday, July 31.

“The Minister of Finance is slated to deliver the mid-year budget review to Parliament. That budget review, the first since we entered the IMF programme, will tell us whether we are making progress, we are static or we are retrogressing.

“And it is a matter that is important for all of Ghana. It is a matter that is going to be debated in Parliament and will probably take media attention for virtually an entire week. We have an interest in it, so we don't want our campaign to compete with that interest,” he indicated to JoyNews.

Describing the budget review as a “big event” for the country, the spokesperson noted how significant it was for Mr Kyerematen’s campaign and his chances of winning the 2024 polls.

“This is important not only for the campaign but for the entire nation. The debate about where the economy is and where we are taking it right now as we engage in the IMF,” Mr Asamoah said.

He further emphasised that the campaign team was conscious of the fact that the 2024 election would be won mainly dependent on the state of the nation’s economy.

Therefore, the interest of the campaign team is that “Mr. Kyerematen’s great transformational plan, which he proposes to build the economy following the IMF stabilisation period, has, as its major plan, a stable and sound macroeconomic environment.”

The mid-year budget review is expected to prioritise policies aimed at securing economic stability and fostering growth.

A significant component of the Mid-Year Policy Review will also focus on a number of reforms, including the Post-CoVID-19 Programme for Economic Growth (PC-PEG), which aims to improve institutions and controls in the country.

Some other areas targeted for enhancements include expenditure commitment control and arrears clearance, debt management, governance, tax policy, and tax administration, as well as energy sector and cocoa sector reforms.