Richard Ahiagbah, the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) director of communications, has pinpointed what he thinks Ghanaians are blaming for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) being "incompetent"

He has made hints that the NPP will soon respond to a seven-point list by NDC lawmaker Cassiel Ato Forson that blames the economic crisis on the government's acts and inactions.

Ahiagbah justifies his assertions.

He claims that the NDC has refused to be up front with Ghanaians about its analysis of the causes of the nation's current economic slump.

He is concerned that the party continues to deny the role that global factors play in the current challenges.

The NPP government has serially blamed the aftershocks of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war for the current challenges.

What Ahiagbah said:

His views were contained in a tweet dated January 16, 2023. It read as follows:

"Will the NDC ever be honest with Ghanaians? Their continuous denial of the global factors impacting Ghana confirms why Ghanaians say the NDC is incompetent. A fuller response will be given soon to Hon. Ato Forson's twisted reasons."

Who Ahiagbah was responding to:

The NPP communications head was referring to a social media post over the weekend by former deputy minister of finance Cassiel Ato Forson, who outlined seven causes for the current economic challenges.

In his post, Ato Forson listed how the bloated size of government, especially within the executive and state-owned enterprises, had contributed to depleting government revenue and thereby threatened to tank the economy.

Background

Ghana had a torrid 2022 amid an economic crisis that forced the government to seek an International Monetary Fund (IMF) facility at a time when the cedi was rapidly depreciating, inflation was galloping, and the government was faced with multiple downgrades by rating agencies.

The government has repeatedly blamed the crisis partly on the aftershocks of the COVID pandemic and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

It has promised to turn around the economic fortunes of the country after sealing a staff-level agreement with the IMF late last year, with hopes that funds from the US$3 billion facility will be released early this year.

The government is hamstrung by hurdles as it attempts to secure a deal with its Domestic Debt Exchange programme.

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