Kofi Bentil Says Ofori-Atta Outperformed Ato Forson In Their First Two Years As Finance Ministers

Vice President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, has stated that former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta performed better than the current Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, during their respective first two years in office.

According to a report by 3News on November 14, 2026, Mr Bentil made the observation during a discussion on TV3’s Key Points programme, where the performance of the current government and the 2027 budget were examined.

Although he rated Mr Ofori-Atta’s performance higher during the period under comparison, Mr Bentil acknowledged that Dr Ato Forson was doing well in his current position. He described the Finance Minister as a fantastic minister but maintained that two years were not enough to make a comprehensive assessment of his performance.

He further encouraged Dr Forson to concentrate on his duties and avoid being distracted by comparisons with his predecessors.

Mr Bentil also challenged the suggestion that the commitment authorisation regime was an entirely new financial management initiative. He explained that a similar arrangement existed under the previous administration, although it was known by a different name. He noted that expenditure could be approved in the national budget without the corresponding funds being released.

Meanwhile, Dr Theo Acheampong, a technical advisor at the Ministry of Finance, defended the current government’s approach. He explained that the system requires sector ministers to obtain approval before committing public funds, even when their ministries have approved budgetary allocations.

He said the measure was intended to strengthen financial discipline and prevent a recurrence of the economic difficulties that led to Ghana’s debt restructuring.

The discussion followed Dr Ato Forson’s presentation of the 2027 budget statement to Parliament on November 12, during which he highlighted the government’s commitment to sustaining economic recovery through fiscal discipline.

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