Government urged to address economic sufferings of Ghanaians

Professor John Kwaku Mensah Mawutor, Dean, School of Graduate Studies, University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), has asked the Government to focus on addressing the economic challenges facing the country.

He said: “We have a country to protect so we should address the perennial problems affecting our economy to the benefit of the Ghanaian.”

Prof Mawutor noted that though the COVID-19 pandemic had made many nations including Ghana, suffer some drawbacks, the government could not continue to use that as an excuse, and not find solutions to the economic challenges.

The Professor of Management explained that the argument that the pandemic did not affect the economy was not true, adding that: “But can we continue to use that argument as the problem forever? No!”

He also bemoaned the comparison of governance by the two main political parties -New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC) using data to their interest, saying such comparisons were not of importance to Ghanaians and that what mattered was improving the living conditions of the people.

The Senior Lecturer said: “The average Ghanaian is concerned about the Cedi depreciation and how to come out of the hardship. Comparing the previous government to what is happening now is not of any use to the Ghanaian.”

Recognising the role of state-owned enterprises in contributing to economic development, Prof Mawutor, asked the parties to have the political will to ensure that state-owned enterprises thrived better.

Dr Bernard Okoe Boye, a former Deputy Minister of Health said that any politician that would “create the impression that COVID-19 has not done anything to the economy only wants power.”

He added that: “When COVID struck for the first time in many decades Ghana Airport was closed. The world was in crisis, it was not the making of the government,” and that despite the impact of the pandemic, the country was recovering through the measures instituted by the government.

Mr Sammy Gyamfi, NDC National Communications Officer, said the COVID-19 helped the government to rather stabilise the Cedi: “Because nobody was importing here in Ghana.”

During his lecture on the state of the economy, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the Vice President said the implementation of government’s flagship programmes, together with the relaxation of the COVID-19 restrictions and the opening of the land borders, would result in increased economic activity and economic growth.

He was hopeful those would turn around the fortunes of the economy and ease the sufferings of Ghanaians.

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