The Deputy General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Haruna Mohammed, has accused the government of presiding over what he describes as poor economic management and a lack of clear policy direction, despite reported improvements in key macroeconomic indicators.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s weekend news analysis programme The Big Issue, Haruna Mohammed argued that recent reductions in inflation have not translated into real relief for ordinary Ghanaians, questioning the practical impact of the figures being touted by government.
According to him, while inflation has declined statistically, the cost of living remains high, with little to no improvement in household expenses such as rent, food prices, and farming inputs.
He further criticised the government’s handling of the agricultural sector, insisting that farmers continue to struggle under current economic conditions, largely due to what he termed ineffective governance and weak policy implementation.
Haruna Mohammed maintained that without deliberate efforts to ease the cost of living and support key productive sectors, economic gains reflected in official data would remain largely meaningless to the average Ghanaian.
“The NPP inherited an inflation of 15 %, before the global crisis, we brought the inflation down to 7.1 % and during the crisis, it went up to 53%, then we brought it down to 23% and handed it over to the NDC. Even with the crisis, we brought it down to 23% and we put in measures as to how to be able to curb it and the previous report of the IMF were indicative of it coming down to the level of what we are seeing today. However, inflation has come down.
“Does it have a replicate effect in the pocket of the people of Ghana? Has the charge on rent changed? If there is some level of resemblance in the reduction of prices within the market sector, what is the value? And what is the cost to the people of Ghana? Check the farmer, no farmer is laughing today, I am a farmer myself.
“No farmer will tell you that if they are able to sell their produce, they will be able to go back and farm the same acreage. Because there is bad economic governance. There is no direction, there is no improvement. Budget allocation cannot be met because the finance minister will not release the resources,” he said
