Mahama and his government are shifting the goalpost - Oppong Nkrumah

Ofoase-Ayirebi MP, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has questioned why the government is promoting a proposed $10 billion “new economy” initiative before fully implementing the economic programmes it presented to Ghanaians before the 2024 elections.

The Ranking Member on Parliament’s Economy and Development Committee said President John Mahama and Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson had previously promoted several initiatives, including the 24-hour economy, a poultry development programme, one million coders and a Women’s Development Bank.

He said the government was now seeking about $10 billion, equivalent to more than GH¢110 billion in his calculation, for another initiative while the original programmes remained unaccounted for.

“It’s been two years since they were voted for. The actual programme that contains all these details, till today, Parliament is yet to have an opportunity to debate and adopt it,” he said in a video.

Oppong Nkrumah argued that the government should first secure parliamentary consideration of its original economic programme and demonstrate progress on its promises before introducing another major initiative.

He described the proposed new economy as a shift in focus from the commitments on which the government campaigned.

“Now all of a sudden they’ve started shifting the goalpost that they’re about to announce a new economic programme requiring an additional $10 billion,” he said.

The MP urged Ghanaians and members of Parliament not to be drawn into discussions about the new initiative until the government had addressed questions about its existing commitments.

“Focus on the old economic programme, its promises, the resources that have been made available to you and account for it,” he said.

Oppong Nkrumah maintained that only after the government had accounted for its existing programmes should there be a discussion about whether another economic initiative was necessary.

“It is then and only then that we can have a conversation about whether or not even a new economy is required,” he added.