Member of Parliament for Tano North and Member of Parliament’s Finance Committee, Dr Gideon Boako, has questioned the quality of Ghana’s economic recovery under the government of President John Dramani Mahama.

He said the decline in headline inflation from 5.3% to 4.6%, although positive, did not necessarily reflect improved living conditions for ordinary Ghanaians.

According to him, rising unemployment, food prices, fuel costs and transport fares continue to put pressure on households despite the government’s improved macroeconomic indicators.

In a social media post on Monday, August 10, Dr Boako said the government’s economic narrative is increasingly disconnected from the daily experiences of citizens.

“Growth that does not create jobs eventually becomes growth without hope,” he said.

Dr Boako argued that economic growth should not be assessed only through indicators such as inflation, GDP growth and fiscal balances, but also by the number of jobs created and development projects completed.

He cited abandoned projects, delayed payments to contractors and limited access to affordable credit as some of the challenges confronting businesses and households.

He also questioned the government’s fiscal consolidation strategy, arguing that lower expenditure could partly be the result of government spending falling below amounts approved by Parliament.

Dr Boako further referred to an IMF report which, according to him, indicated that the government had cancelled about 1,800 ongoing projects and rephased around 2,000 others.

He said such projects included feeder and urban roads, drainage systems, schools, hospitals, government hostels, teachers’ and health workers’ accommodation, warehouses and electricity infrastructure.