The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has called for a fundamental overhaul of Ghana’s economic policy direction, warning that macroeconomic stability achieved through programmes supported by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has not translated into jobs or improved daily living conditions for ordinary citizens.
TUC Deputy Secretary-General Dr. Kwabena Otoo made the call on JoyNews’ Newsfile programme, arguing that Ghana’s economy remains structurally import-driven despite years of adjustment programmes and that what the country urgently needs is a decisive shift toward production, industrial growth and sustainable employment creation.
“You cannot talk about macroeconomic stability while people continue to face social instability,” Dr. Otoo said.
He directed particular attention to the unemployment burden weighing on young Ghanaians, pointing to the reality that many graduates spend five or more years after completing school without securing employment. That persistent gap, he argued, represents a systemic failure that economic stabilisation metrics have repeatedly failed to capture or address.
Dr. Otoo warned that unresolved economic hardship does not simply linger quietly in the background. It accumulates over time and eventually surfaces as political pressure on governments, particularly in election cycles when citizens demand tangible improvements to their lives rather than statistical reassurances.
His remarks add a labour voice to a growing debate about the quality of Ghana’s economic recovery, setting it apart from the macroeconomic narrative that has dominated discussion around the country’s recent IMF programme exit. Dr. Otoo made clear that any honest measure of economic success must begin with how Ghanaians experience daily life rather than how recovery indicators read in official reports.
