{
  "id": 19458490,
  "title": "2027 Budget: Turn economic gains into jobs • Experts, businesses demand job-centred policies",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/11/2027-budget-turn-economic-gains-into-jobs-experts-businesses-demand",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-11T06:38:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Ghanaian Times",
    "slug": "ghanaian-times",
    "url": "https://ghanaiantimes.com.gh/2027-budget-turn-economic-gains-into-jobs-experts-businesses-demand-job-centred-policies/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "As the 2027 Budget Statement and Economic Policy approach parliamentary presentation, economic stakeholders are demanding job-centred policies to capitalize on the nation's economic recovery. High unemployment, escalating business costs, infrastructure shortcomings, and restricted prospects for the young are lingering concerns. There is a pressing need for the government to convert the country's economic resurgence into tangible advantages for its people.\n\nEconomists, industry leaders, and representatives from various sectors advocate for strategic spending over stringent fiscal discipline. A key focus should be on boosting the private sector, which is a critical engine for employment and economic growth. This requires creating a conducive business environment, bolstering infrastructure, securing reliable energy sources, and establishing a stable tax system.\n\nProfessor Godfred Bokpin, an economist, emphasized the importance of a balanced approach in the budget, advocating for productive investments in agriculture, manufacturing, and agro-processing. He cautioned against excessive expenditure controls that could undermine the benefits of economic recovery by failing to enhance the economy's productive capacity. Bokpin stressed the need for investments that directly contribute to economic growth and job creation, particularly in the face of persistent labour unrest in the health, education, and judicial sectors.\n\nThe country's infrastructure deficit is identified as a significant barrier to job creation. Bokpin argues that while growth in the services sector may boost GDP, it may not translate into sufficient job creation. He advocates for a value-chain approach to industrialization, linking production to processing, packaging, transportation, and maintenance services to generate employment opportunities across various stages of economic activity.\n\nDr Said Boakye, Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, urges the government to review existing tax exemptions and avoid over-reliance on them to attract investment. He recommends a comprehensive examination of all tax incentive packages, including corporate income tax exemptions, and suggests abolishing those that lack economic justification. Boakye advocates for a more active role for the government in the extractive sector, either through direct investment or partnerships with private investors, particularly in Botswana's model. He also suggests considering production-sharing agreements as an alternative revenue source, as these have proven more effective than the current concession regime.",
  "summary": "As the government prepares to present the 2027 Budget Statement and Economic Policy to Parliament tomorrow, businesses, workers, farmers and other sections of the public are looking to it for measures that will stimulate economic activity, create jobs and improve living conditions. With unemployment, high business operating costs, infrastructure deficits and limited opportunities for young … The…",
  "key_points": [
    "Economic stakeholders demand job-centred policies for 2027 Budget Statement",
    "Economists advocate strategic spending over fiscal discipline for job creation",
    "Infrastructure deficits identified as barrier to job creation and growth"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Prioritizing strategic industrial investments over strict fiscal discipline shifts the budget's focus from mere growth to building the productive capacity necessary to solve persistent unemployment and infrastructure deficits.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}