After all the noise, is this what they could offer?

A few weeks after Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was sworn into office at the

forecourt of the Black Star Square as the president of the Republic on 7th

January 2017, he came under fire for appointing an “elephant-sized” government of 126 ministers. This comes after his campaign promise to cut superfluous government spending and protect the public’s funds.

The newly elected president hit back at his critics and said this was “a necessary investment” to transform Ghana and raise the standards of living of Ghanaian citizens.

"It is a necessary investment to make for the rapid transformation of this country,” he said, adding that “ministers are coming to work; it is not going to be a holiday." He arrogantly shut everyone up.

The size of the government is the record for Ghana and the largest government

in the country since the return to a democratic constitution in 1992. Before winning the 2016 election, the New Patriotic Party made a whole lot of noise; they claimed to have the men; they claimed to be the real Democrats; they promised to transform Ghana in eighteen months; and they condemned every achievement of the John Dramani Mahama-led government. They promised to develop Ghana without borrowing, cut down taxes, and protect the public purse.

At the time, 1 United States Dollar (USD) was equal to GHC 4.1 and 1 Great

British Pound Sterling (GBP) was equal to GHC 5.90. The country’s Debt to Gross

Domestic Product (GDP) was 54 percent, and the national debt stock had reached

GHC 122.6 billion.

The year-on-year inflation rate as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI)

was 15.4 percent in December 2016, down by 0.1 percentage point from the

15.5 percent recorded in November 2016 and unemployment was 7 percent. The president’s response to his elephant-sized government was viewed by some Ghanaians as an assurance to improve the above economic variables that will ultimately develop the country and improve the standards of living of Ghanaians.

Today, after the noise in defence of the gargantuan and the over-bloated government size, 1 USD is equal to GHC15, while 1 GBP is equal to GHC18.80. (In spite of the fact that the government has suspended servicing its foreign debt, the situation would have been worse than it is now.) Inflation is 24 percent, and debt to GDP is 104 percent. The country’s debt stock is currently close to GHC 700 billion.

A bag of cement was sold at GHC 20 in 2016 but GHC 90 today, a gallon of

diesel was GHC 18 in 2016, and today a litre is selling at GHC 16.60; therefore, a gallon is GHC 61.42 (from GHC 18 in 2016 to 61.42 in 2024) under the current

government who claimed to be competent. The unemployment rate was 7 percent in 2016, but it stood at 14.5 percent.

The president promised to fight corruption with his “elephant-sized” government; however, the evidence from current events suggests that corruption is worse under this Akufo-Addo-Bawumia-led government.

In 2016, according to Transparency International Released Corruption

Perception Index (CPI), the NDC’s worst performance was 43, which is better

than the NPP’s best performance of 41.

In view of the above economic indicators, which evidently show that the NPP is

the worst managers of the economy and the perfect description of incompetence, ordinarily, one would have expected the NPP and their protagonists to bow their heads down in shame and shut up after all the noise they made while in opposition vis-à-vis the current fruit of their regime.

Yet, they have the temerity and impudence to go around the country claiming

to be better managers of the economy. How and what did we do to deserve

these blatant disrespects and insults?

Despite the obvious failure and the country’s lack of direction, these same

people are shamelessly and disrespectfully shouting “breaking the eight” instead of “fixing the mess.” If they had principles, integrity, and a scintilla of respect for Ghanaians, they would not even contest the 2024 elections.

The obvious lack of remorse, regret, and admission by the members of the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government towards Ghanaians after this glaring and unprecedented monumental economic mismanagement is appalling, disgusting, nauseating, and an insult to the wisdom of Ghanaians.

The members of the government and their communicators have continued on their empty noise trajectory after the government’s abysmal performance. Indeed, “empty barrels make the most noise.”

The least Ghanaians deserve from the current government is an honest and

candid apology. Each time, the NPP communicators try to justify the current

economic mess with the flimsiest excuse of COVID-19. It irritates every organ in

my body and is an insult to our intelligence; they should credit Ghanaians with

some level of intellect. In actuality, this government has benefited from

COVID-19 and is still benefiting. The only government in the world that has introduced COVID-Levy is the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government.

This is despite the fact that the government has received over USD 1 billion from the IMF and the World Bank as a COVID-19 relief fund.

I crave the indulgence of the government and its communicators to stop the

noise, because one dollar is GHC15 and one pound is GHC 18.80 for God's sake.

Stop insulting our intelligence; stop adding insults to injury. Credit us with

some intelligence, show some remorse and regrets, admit your failure and

apologise.