Government says it is reprioritising its development projects for the year and has consequently asked ministries, departments and agencies to cut their budgets by half. Information and National Orientation Minister Stephen Asamoah Boateng has told Joy News that the ministries, departments and agencies are being urged to slow down on yet to be undertaken investments for the year and to keep their budgets within the new limits. The cuts, he explained, will also affect the presidency. Asamoah Boateng said the budget cuts have been necessitated by the rising world crude oil and food prices and is only an actualization of President Kufuor’s caution in May this year when he announced a mitigation package to cushion the vulnerable against the harsh economic conditions. “What actually has been happening is that because of the regressions in the economy, especially in the increases on the crude oil prices and the food price increases we’ve had to reprioritise most of the government programmes,” he told Joy News at midday. The cut backs will not affect the energy, water and road sectors which remain a priority for government. When President Kufuor announced the mitigation package on May 23, he also listed the School Feeding programme, the Capitation Grant, the National Health Insurance Scheme, the Metro Mass Transport, the National Youth Employment Programme and the Micro-Finance and Small Loan Scheme as some of the priority projects that would not be affected. Author: Isaac Yeboah