The Managing Editor of Insight Newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jr., has criticized the government’s austerity measures, including the freeze on public sector recruitment, as fundamentally conflicting with the principles enshrined in Ghana’s 1992 Constitution as reported by Ghana Web.
He argues that these policies undermine constitutional commitments aimed at protecting the welfare of ordinary citizens, especially the vulnerable.
In a statement shared on his X account on June 5, 2025, Pratt referenced Article 36(1) of the Constitution, revealing the clear mandate for the government to manage the national economy in a way that “maximizes the rate of economic development and secures the maximum welfare, freedom, and happiness of every person in Ghana.”
He emphasized that the Constitution explicitly requires the state to provide “adequate means of livelihood and suitable employment and public assistance to the needy.”
Pratt contends that current government policies have changed away from these obligations, focusing instead on profit-making and economic strategies that fail to alleviate the struggles faced by the working class.
This change, he argues, is a result of successive administrations’ alignment with neo-colonial interests rather than a genuine commitment to the people’s welfare.
“The governing laws of the country sought to place a responsibility on the government to protect the ordinary citizen, a responsibility that appears to have been overlooked,” Pratt stated, revealing the disconnect between constitutional ideals and present-day economic policies.