The Role of Extractive Resource Revenues in Bridging the Financing Gap in Pro-poor Sectors in Ghana

The budget is the government’s key policy document. It should therefore be comprehensive, encompassing all government revenue and expenditure, so that the necessary trade-offs between different policy options can be assessed. In essence, national policy should be reflected in national budgets, which in turn must encompass prudent expenditure management that yields results. Since 2002 some efforts have been made by Governments of Ghana to integrate Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) such as poverty and hunger reduction; universal primary education; improved health through reduced infant/child mortality and combating HIV/ AIDS and malaria into the national development policy frameworks -- GPRS I (2003-2005) and GPRS II (2006 – 2009) and Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda (GSGDA) (2010-2013).