Economic dissonance threatens peace, security - Sophia Akufo

A former Chief Justice, Sophia Akufo, has warned that the country’s peace and security are being undermined by the widening gap between improving macroeconomic indicators and the lived realities of ordinary citizens.

According to the former head of the judiciary, who studied international law and conflict management, the country cannot claim to be truly peaceful while “important things are not in sync”, cautioning that the seeds of dissatisfaction and potential conflict remain embedded in the prevailing economic and social conditions.

She made these remarks at the 57th Club Anniversary Annual Peace Talk of the Rotary Club of Accra West. The lecture was on the theme ‘Peace in Ghana: Safeguarding peace in a changing national and global landscape’.

Speaking at the lecture, she noted that despite significant improvement in the macroeconomic indicators, Ghanaians – which she said are predominantly “average people” – are yet to feel the impact of the numbers on their lives, emphasising that “something is wrong”.

“The public keeps saying, so why are the prices still high? Why is food still expensive?” she quizzed.

She alluded to the dramatic drop in inflation from 23.5 percent in January 2025 to 3.8 percent in January 2026 and the rapid accumulation of reserves to the tune of US$13.8billion.

Despite the aforementioned indicators, she said economic dissonance continues to threaten Ghana’s peace and security more than any external factor.

The Director of Academic Affairs at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), Professor Kwesi Aning, also emphasised that the “dissonance between rhetoric and reality” creates mistrust, anger and frustration – arguing this “contributes to sowing the seeds of disaffection and, by extension, conflict”.

Justice Akufo therefore warned that: “Unless the words and the reality become related to each other, the macroeconomic gains will remain ephemeral as far as the average Ghanaian is concerned”.

She admonished that more should be done to bridge this ever-widening gap between the economic data and reality on the ground, lift many out of poverty and improve the lives of ordinary Ghanaians.

Justice Akufo further pointed to the alarming disparity between the country’s city and countryside, citing the irony of a farmer in the village whose produce rots at the farmgate while the city dweller complains about high food prices.

She stressed the fact that fancy buildings are springing up in neighbourhoods of the city and “should give us cause for concern. Because being on the outside looking in is not a good social contract. There’s exclusion going on.”

“We have nice hospitals in one place and some kind of a shed, which is an excuse for a clinic, in another place,” she observed, stating the countryside is “sad”.

Justice Akufo however noted: “If we continue to build a nation where some people are enjoying while others are left licking their lips and just wondering what it tastes like, the nation risks plunging seductive extremism when the youth conclude the system offers them nothing.

“If the youth don’t see that they have a stake in the economy, but rather see themselves as excluded, neglected or ignored, they become vulnerable and easily seduced by the siren song of every form of extremism – be it religious, political or social.”

Reacting to the unfortunate ordeal that befell Ghanaian tomato traders in neighbouring Burkina Faso, Justice Akufo noted that peace and security in Ghana is inextricably tied to the “security of our neighbours”.

She therefore urged ECOWAS to work assiduously to bring back countries of the Sahel – Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger – into the bloc.

“We need to win them back or realign our relationship with them, because what goes on in their country has a ripple-effect on our country,” she advised.

The incident, which she described as a “Valentine’s Day massacre”, occurred when the truck of Ghanaian tomato traders was torched by terrorists in Burkina Faso, killing 7 and injuring 11.

Corruption, Justice Akufo argued, is also a threat to peace and security in Ghana: “Because corruption means somebody is jumping ahead of you and it’s not their turn. Corruption means somebody is getting something to which they are not entitled”.