Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has dismissed comments by the Chairman of the New Patriotic Party Select Committee on Communications, Nana Akomea, that Ghanaians do not benefit from economic stability, describing the statement as politically motivated and detached from current realities.
Speaking in response to Akomea’s remarks during an interview on Joy FM’s Top Story on Tuesday, May 12, Kwakye Ofosu said the opposition’s criticism ignores the significant economic turnaround achieved since the current administration took office.
“He says, Ghanaians do not eat stability. By that, is Nana Akomea implying then that Ghanaians eat instability? I think that we need to delineate the issues properly. I know that it is a place of opposition to keep governments on its toes and critique policy and all that, but all of that must be grounded in fact and logic. There’s 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.
According to him, inflation had climbed to 54 percent, the cedi had fallen to what he described as its worst level in history, and lending rates had soared above 30 percent under the previous government.
Kwakye Ofosu said the current administration has reversed that trend, pointing to a stable exchange rate, falling fuel prices and a reduction in transport fares as clear signs that economic gains are reaching ordinary people.
He noted that fuel prices, which peaked at between GH¢20 and GH¢23 per litre under the previous administration, are now around GH¢15 per litre despite fluctuations in global crude oil prices.
“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.
He added that the stronger cedi has reduced import costs, lowering duty payments and helping bring down prices of several goods on the market, even though some items remain slow to adjust downward.
Kwakye Ofosu said the reduction in transport fares by 16 percent last year was another direct benefit of the improved economy, stressing that such savings go directly into the pockets of citizens.
“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 said.
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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.