General News of Friday, 26 March 2021

Source: GNA

Govt to spend GH¢2.1 billion on Ministry of Defence for 2021

Dominic Nitiwul, Minister for Defence Dominic Nitiwul, Minister for Defence

Parliament on Thursday approved in Accra, the sum of GH¢2,102,103,946 for the Ministry of Defence for the 2021 financial year.

The Finance Committee of Parliament, in its recommendation to the plenary entreated the House to urge the Government to initiate steps to address the huge shortfalls.

The Committee noted: "this inadequate budgetary allocation to the Ministry will adversely affect the operations and performance of the Ministry."

Some of the critical areas the Ministry is expected to invest aside its core objectives are the expansion of the 37 Military Hospital, construction of the Tamale Military Hospital and the procurement of parachutes and paratechs and recommendations to the men.

Out of the total budgetary allocation to the Ghana Armed Forces Programme, Gh¢1,204,708,520 representing 70 per cent is allocated to the General Headquarters, as the General Headquarters (Armed Forces Administration) sub-program ranks the highest among the sub-program under Ghana Armed Forces."

An amount of GHC206, 534,280 representing 12 per of the Ghana Armed Forces programme is allocated to land operations.

Naval operations received GH¢101,989,960 representing six per cent of the Ghana Armed Forces allocation.

Air operations sub-program is also allocated with GHC96, 430,916 representing six per cent of the Ghana Armed Forces programme budget.

An amount of GH€93,311,867 representing 5.4 per cent of the Ghana Armed Forces Programme is allocated the Military Health Service.

The Defence Advisors Sub-program has been allocated GH¢10,063,590, which represents 0.6 per cent of the Ghana Armed Forces programme's entire budget.