Finance Ministry Directs MDAs to Obtain Fresh Commitment Authorisations for 2026 Spending
Deputy Minister for Finance, Thomas Nyarko Ampem, has instructed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to secure new Commitment Authorisations for any expenditure to be undertaken in 2026, noting that approvals issued in 2025 have lapsed and are no longer applicable to procurement activities this year.
Speaking at a meeting with Chief Directors, Heads of Covered Entities and Chief Executives of public institutions on the Modalities for Commitment Authorisation for 2026, the Deputy Minister underscored that all spending must be confined strictly within approved budget ceilings.
Mr Ampem, who also serves as Member of Parliament for the Asuogyaman Constituency, announced that the Ministry of Finance has set a two-week turnaround time for processing and approving Commitment Authorisation applications, provided all requisite documentation is duly submitted.
To enhance efficiency in the approval process, he directed that all requests should henceforth be channelled through the relevant Sector Ministers. However, to reduce administrative bottlenecks, MDAs have been allowed to submit copies of their applications directly to the Ministry of Finance to enable preliminary processing while awaiting formal ministerial referral.
He further explained that MDAs with ongoing projects carried over from 2025, where contracts have already been awarded but payments remain outstanding, must declare such commitments in full. According to him, these obligations will constitute a first charge on their respective 2026 budgets before approval is granted for any new spending.
Providing context to the Commitment Authorisation regime, Mr Ampem said the system was introduced to prevent public institutions from binding the state to projects without corresponding budgetary provision. He observed that, historically, significant financial commitments were made without the knowledge or approval of the Ministry of Finance, a practice that has contributed to Ghana’s escalating public debt.
He stressed that strict enforcement of the framework is essential to addressing unauthorised expenditure and forms a key component of efforts to restore fiscal discipline and ensure debt sustainability under Ghana’s IMF-supported programme.
“If this country had adhered to the budget and committed the state only when funds were available, we would not have found ourselves where we are today,” the Deputy Minister stated.
