The Member of Parliament (MP) for Suame, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has said that he is bemused by former President John Dramani Mahama's comment that the current challenges in the country are not because of the Russia-Ukraine war.
According to Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the Russia-Ukraine war affected Ghana directly through the reduction in exports from Ukraine and indirectly through the increase in the price of petroleum products because of the war.
“The Ukraine war is affecting us because about 40 percent of wheat and wheat flour imported to Ghana are from Ukraine. And they not being able to export them to us is the reason why the price of bread is expensive.
“The increase in the price of things we don’t export from Ukraine is because the price of petroleum products has increased due to the war. Because of the increase in the prices of petroleum products, the cost of transportation has also increased, which is affecting the prices of all other goods.
“So, it is shocking to hear the former president say he does not see how the Russia-Ukraine war affects Ghana’s economy,” he said in Twi, in an interview with Hello FM, monitored by GhanaWeb.
Former President Mahama recently berated the Director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, for attributing Ghana's prevailing weak economic situation to the shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war.
According to Mr. Mahama, the assertion by the IMF boss ignores the basic facts underpinning Ghana's economic challenges, which he cites as mismanagement on the part of the Akufo-Addo-led government.
"While the norm in international diplomacy of being guarded in what one says is appreciated, comments by high-ranking officials must be grounded on facts that take into consideration local realities and opinions.
"The incontrovertible fact is that Ghana is in a mess due to the bad policies of this government, which have contributed massively to the dire state of affairs," the former president wrote in a Facebook post sighted by GhanaWeb.
