The Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) has lauded Parliament for its scrutiny of the 2023 Budget of the Government of Ghana, and particularly disapproving a number of allocations.

The CDD-Ghana said it took keen interest in the deliberations of the 2023 Budget by the house “and commends the leadership, and Members of Parliament for their assertiveness in exercising the ‘power of the purse’ function by scrutinizing the government budget proposals in a consensus manner.”

In a statement issued Friday, the CDD-Ghana said the good work done on the budget is “one of the important dividends of the ‘Hung Parliament’ so far, and call on Parliament to remain even more vigilant in its oversight role in the New Year.”

“We commend the House’s decision to disapprove allocations to the National Cathedral and reallocation to the Roads and Communications ministries, demolition and redevelopment of a new Accra International Conference Center (AICC), and establishment of three new diplomatic missions in Jamaica, Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago.

“The decision to also defund the Special Development Initiatives and Monitoring and Evaluation secretariats at the Office of the President as well as slashing the Contingency Vote by half, among other cost cutting measures is a great demonstration that the Members of Parliament are in touch with the economic reality of the country and will assist the government to spend the scarce public resources judiciously.”

CDD-Ghana also asked MPs to take advantage of the recess period to engage their constituents to keep them well-informed about their roles.