Ato Forson: DACF, GETFund, NHIF, Road Fund paid in full for Q3 2026

Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson says the government is directing spending towards the essential services Ghanaians rely on, after paying third-quarter 2026 allocations to five statutory funds on time and in full.

In a social media post, Dr Forson linked the payments to the everyday needs of citizens, including education, healthcare, roads, and community development.

“We are spending where it matters most, on the services Ghanaians depend on every day,” he said.

The five funds are the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, and the Road Maintenance Trust Fund. An accompanying Ministry of Finance graphic indicated that all five had received their third-quarter payments for 2026 in full.

“These five funds have received their third-quarter payments on time and in full, supporting schools, healthcare, roads and development in our communities,” Dr Forson said.

He stressed the human side of meeting such obligations, pointing to the people who depend on the services the funds support.

“Behind every payment are people whose needs cannot wait,” he added.

What the funds pay for

The DACF provides resources to metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies for local development, while GETFund finances education infrastructure and other interventions. The NHIF supports healthcare financing under the National Health Insurance Scheme, and the Road Maintenance Trust Fund pays for road maintenance.

The post follows an announcement on 21 October 2026 in which Dr Forson said the government had paid GH¢24.8 billion (about US$2.13 billion) to statutory funds since January 2026. He described this as a departure from the delays, capping, and arrears that previously affected releases, saying such funds are now released “on time and in full”.

That announcement also followed the release of third-quarter allocations and named other beneficiaries, including the Free Senior High School Programme, the Mineral Development Fund, and the Minerals Income Investment Fund.

In 2025, the government announced measures to uncap statutory funds, including GETFund, the NHIF, and the Road Fund. On the DACF, Dr Forson said in 2025 that only 40 to 50 per cent of allocations reached assemblies directly between 2017 and 2024, and that at least 80 per cent would now be transferred directly to them.

Questions over how payments are measured have featured in the debate before. In June 2025, the Minority in Parliament criticised delays and urged that payments reflect actual cash transfers, not only letters of release, while Dr Forson told the House that statutory payments had been made.