Member of Parliament for Afigya Kwabre North, Collins Adomako-Mensah, has called on the government to expand its newly announced cedi-only payment directive beyond just contractor payments, urging broader enforcement across multiple sectors of the economy.
The MP welcomed the move by the Finance Ministry to restrict government contracts to the use of the Ghana cedi, regardless of the funding source. He believes this policy, if broadened, could significantly strengthen the local currency.
“I don’t have any problem with that. Some transactions can be in dollars, but once you are giving a contract to a Ghanaian contractor, it should be in cedis. Most of the governments have fallen short of that, so I am happy they have decided to pay contractors in cedis,” he stated.
The directive was announced by Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson during the 2025 Mid-Year Budget Review presentation in Parliament. He explained that the goal was to reinforce the use of the Ghana cedi in public transactions and curb the growing trend of dollarisation in the economy.
Adomako-Mensah believes the policy should not stop with contractors, suggesting that goods and services across various industries should be priced and transacted in Ghana cedis.
“I think that directive aims to ensure that we do a lot more transactions with our legal tender, which is the Ghana cedi. I think the government should even go further. Maybe the directive should permeate a lot more sectors within the economy.
“A lot of the things should be quoted in the Ghana cedi just to help strengthen our currency. I don’t have any problem with that at all,” he added.
