It was an important address, one many Ghanaians looked forward to, considering the financial pressure in the system and the damning economic distress in the country currently.
The heat from price hikes, the high cost of living among others was enough for Ghanaians to expect a calming message from the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
To be fair, the president did outline quite a number of measures it intends to implement to salvage the current difficulties Ghanaians are facing but it appears the highlight or reiteration of some key elements in the president’s speech did not go down well with some.
In this piece, we take a look at 3 things mentioned by President Akufo-Addo in his speech that appeared to have generated disappointment from Ghanaians.
The president has been criticised in the past for attributing many of the country’s economic woes to the COVID-19 pandemic which took over global economies including Ghana in 2020.
According to them, despite how huge the impact was, some countries were able to restore their economic confidence and boost their economies.
But the government has not failed to tout its achievements in dealing with some of the challenges and they have been accused of dwelling on past feats rather than tackling the current issues.
Some Ghanaians have repeated this sentiment following the president’s speech on Sunday.
In his speech on Sunday, October 30, 2022, the president, while touting the strides the country has made still made reference to the effects of COVID-19 on the economy.
“We could all see in real-time the devastation that was being wreaked on economies during the pandemic, but I doubt that anyone imagined the extent of the damage. Our economy, here in Ghana, like many, many others around the globe, was thrown into turmoil.
“When I said, at the height of the COVID pandemic, that we knew what to do to bring the economy back to life, but not how to bring people back to life, it was not said in jest. We had done it before, and we were on course to doing it again. Ghana’s economy grew by a remarkable 5.4% in 2021, signifying a strong recovery from the 0.5% growth recorded the previous year due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” he added.
This apparently did not go well with many who have taken to social media to express their thoughts.
Ken Ofori-Atta touts Ghana care/obatanpa programme every single time as our healing balm but last night Mr President said it was just this weekend that the covid 19 economic recovery framework was agreed upon.
In his speech, the president reiterated the impact of the Russia/Ukraine war on global economies which have translated to Ghana.
According to him, despite the effect of COVID-19 on the economy, the economy was able to recover from the 0.5% growth to gain some 7%.
This feat, he says, was significantly impacted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the first quarter of this year to aggravate the effects of COVID-19 and plunge the global economy into even greater turmoil from which it has not yet recovered.
Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine have sent many economies to the OPD. Why has Ghana’s economy left the intensive care unit and is on its way to the morgue?
This was it for most Ghanaians. Though this was not a ‘throwback’ but a new one, many have questioned why the president raised it as part of his address in the first place. While trying to dissuade speculators from speaking badly and projecting doom for the Ghanaian cedi amidst its rapid depreciation against the dollar, the President quoted a French saying.
He said: "Fellow Ghanaians, as the French would say, l’argent n’aime pas le bruit, to wit, money does not like noise, sika mpɛ dede.
"Where there is chaos, where there is noise, where there is unrest, you will not find money. If you talk down your money, it will go down. If you allow some unidentifiable person to talk down your money, it will go down," he stressed.
To this, many netizens have responded, questioning why the president seemingly is blaming speculators rather than telling Ghanaians what is accounting for the Cedi fall and suggesting viable solutions to revive it.
He’s calling us noise makers so we should shut up and suffer. The president disregards our emotional distress each and every day. Our complaints and frustrations is noisy.Coming to tell us sika mp3 dede is an insult to us.
So I learnt the meaning of “sika mp3 dede” to wit means the noise y’all making about the economy and hardship in the country ain’t gonna solve our problems but rather worsen it. So lass lass y’all should shut up and suffer..herhh! Na so we dey for this country? Ei
So, Prez Akufo-Addo says he knows the increasing cost of living is a concern for Ghanaians, but money doesn't like noise so if we keep complaining about the crisis, there'll be unrest and we won't find money.
In summary, I KNOW YOU'RE SUFFERING BUT SIKA MP3 DEDE SO SHUT UP!!! ????
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo