The establishment of the Council follows the legal provisions of Section 11D of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921), as amended by the Public Financial Management (Amendment) Act, 2025 (Act 1136). The move represents a formal commitment by the Mahama administration to embed independent fiscal oversight within the architecture of Ghana's public finance system.
The five nominees bring together a cross-section of academic, research, and policy expertise. Dr Emmanuel Oteng Kumah has been nominated as Chairperson. Professor Patrick Opoku Asuming will represent academia on the Council, while Leslie Dwight Mensah fills the seat reserved for a representative from a research think tank. Two former public policy practitioners round out the body: J. Kweku Bedu-Addo, who served at the Ministry of Finance, and Dr Henry Akpenamawu Kofi Wampah, a former expert at the Bank of Ghana.
According to the Presidency, the Council will serve as a watchdog on the execution of the national budget, with a mandate to ensure that government expenditure remains within sustainable limits and that public financial decisions are guided by independent expert analysis. The government described the Council as a strategic instrument for reinforcing Ghana's economic framework and promoting long-term fiscal stability.
The composition of the body, drawing from academia, independent research, and hands-on policy experience at both the finance ministry and the central bank, signals an attempt to insulate fiscal monitoring from purely political influence, a recurring concern in Ghana's management of public finances.
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