Former Minister of Education and Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, popularly known as NAPO, has criticised the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) over what he described as exaggerated claims of economic progress.
Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme, Dr. Opoku Prempeh argued that recent developments in fuel pricing and currency stability are not novel and should not be portrayed as major achievements by the current administration.
According to him, similar measures were implemented under the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) government and yielded tangible results.
“Under President Nana Addo, we introduced a programme that allowed Ghana to use gold to purchase oil instead of depending on dollars from the Bank of Ghana,” he said.
“That policy led to a reduction in petrol prices. So there is nothing miraculous happening under the NDC—it is not magic.”
Dr. Opoku Prempeh maintained that improvements in the cedi’s performance against the dollar should naturally translate into lower fuel prices for consumers.
“If the value of the dollar improves, there should be a corresponding reduction in pump prices,” he stated.
“If that does not happen, then the additional levies placed on the cedi are simply masking the real cost of petrol.”
He further questioned the government’s economic direction, particularly what he described as a lack of fresh, practical initiatives aimed at strengthening Ghana’s productive sectors.
“What new initiatives has this government introduced?” he asked.
“Investments in the productive sector have not been effectively implemented.”
Dr. Opoku Prempeh also suggested that the government’s use of gold to stabilise the cedi may be creating financial strain elsewhere within the economy.
“People within the same government are now complaining that the gold used to stabilise the cedi has created problems,” he claimed.
“As a result, the government is struggling to pay cocoa farmers because cocoa prices have fallen.”
.jpeg)
0 Comments