Felix Kwakye Ofosu, the Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, has fired back at the Chairman of the New Patriotic Party Select Committee on Communications, Nana Akomea.
Nana Akomea comments follow the Mahama government, who have constantly touted their economic gains, including inflation dropping to 3.4 per cent, the cedi strengthening to about GH¢11.30 to the dollar, with Ghana’s GDP rising to an estimated $118 billion.
According to Nana Akomea, these figures do not reflect the daily realities facing most citizens.
Nana Akomea boldly stated that macroeconomic stability means little to ordinary Ghanaians if it does not translate into improved living conditions.
He argued that Ghanaians do not eat stability or inflation.
Speaking in a yet-to-be-aired interview on PM Express, Nana Akomea stated, “Nobody, no electorate eats stability. No electorate eats inflation. It is good to achieve stability in the macroeconomy. It is good to achieve low inflation figures. It is not the same as the cost of living”.
“So when you have achieved stability in the dollar, but port charges have gone up by 100%, it is that 100% that translates into your pocket and my pocket. Not the stability of the dollar. The importer will pass that cost on to consumers,” he said.
Nana Akomea added, “When prices go up 50%, it comes to my pocket. Whether it is the right duty or not, it is hitting my pocket directly. That is what I feel, and that is what informs my decision”.
“What influences the ordinary person is the impact. Once electricity goes up, once prices go up, that is what matters. It is the effect on our lives, not the mere fact that the dollar is stable,” he stated.
However, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, reacting to Nana Akomea’s remarks, quizzed him if Ghanaians eat instability.
According to Felix Kwakye Ofosu, Nana Akomea’s remarks are politically motivated and detached from current realities.
Speaking in an interview on JoyFM, Kwakye Ofosu stated, “He says Ghanaians do not eat stability. By that, is Nana Akomea implying that Ghanaians eat instability? I think we need to properly delineate the issues. I know it is the role of the opposition to keep governments on their toes and critique policy, but all of that must be grounded in fact and logic.
“There is nobody in Ghana who can say that the economy we are in today is worse than what we inherited, and that cannot be argued by any stretch of the imagination,” he said.
Kwakye Ofosu further stressed how the current administration has reversed negative economic trends, “If you were buying fuel for 23 cedis per litre and today you are buying the same fuel for about 15 cedis, how can anybody say that does not translate into savings for the ordinary person?” he questioned.
“For an opposition party to disregard all of this and pretend that nothing has happened in this country that signals improvement is simply not accurate. It is mere politicking and not backed by substance,” he added.
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