God and budget: The place of religion in the readings of Ghana’s annual budget statements by the Finance Minister (2017–2020)

Abstract

The budget presentation in Ghana’s parliament is an annual ritual required by the 1992 Constitution. As stipulated in Article 179, the Budget Statement and Economic Policy should detail the revenues and expenditures of the government for the upcoming year. When the Akufo-Addo government of the New Patriotic Party assumed power in 2017, the Finance Minister became well known for using the Bible and religious themes in his presentations of budget statements. The study employed content analysis and thematic analysis of four budget statements to examine how religion has been used to present the national budget statements as divinely mediated. The study revealed how the Finance Minister sought to explain and gain support for the government’s economic policies based on his convictions that the economic policies are under the guidance and direction of God.
Contribution: The study contributes to the larger conversation about the role of religion and faith in our societies today, especially in the public life of politicians. It also calls for the accountable use of religion in the public sphere.