The Member of Parliament for the Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam Constituency in the Central Region, Casiel Ato Forson, has outlined reasons for Ghana’s current economic woes.
Ghana is experiencing a deep economic crisis, with rampant inflation that has reached almost 55% and its currency has fallen by almost half compared to the US dollar.
The government’s finances are also at their lowest point in years.
President Nana Akufo-Addo, who has faced several protests in the West African country because of the situation, admitted that Ghana is in crisis and blamed what he called “malevolent forces…that have come together at the same time” referring to the COVID-19 and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Ghana’s government has blamed the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine as some of the drivers of the economic crisis, but analysts think that the overspending by the government has contributed to the current economic woes.
In a Twitter post on Friday, the ranking member of the Finance Committee of Parliament claimed among others that the large size of government officials has led the country to the current economic difficulties.
Below are the 7 reasons outlined by Ato Forson:
1. The NPP has the largest size of government in the history of Ghana! Find out how many ministers they’ve appointed from 2017. At one point, they had over 125 ministers!
2. This government has over 1,000 presidential staffers paid as article 71 officeholders at the jubilee House!
3. They’ve also appointed soo many special assistants to ministers with emoluments close to that of deputy ministers at the various MDA’s.
Take also into consideration:
4. The number of spokespersons at various MDA’s paid above the pay of Directors!
5. The number of CEOs at various State-owned Enterprises (SOEs) and their pay packages! Many of these SOEs now employ 3 or 4 deputy CEOs with fat conditions of service!
6. The impact of the Over 50 new agencies with zero output, eg. CODA, NADA, MBDA, free SHS secretariat, 1D1F secretariat, Petroleum Hub Development Authority, Ghana cares Secretariat, etc
7. The unconscionable decision to send over 100 Databank staff to the Finance Ministry as special assistants and paid as customs commissioners on GRA’s payroll!
— Cassiel Ato Forson(PhD) (@Cassielforson) January 14, 2023
