The National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, says the current economic condition in the country is killing more people than the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to him, the magnitude of suffering being experienced by Ghanaians cannot be compared to the ravages of the pandemic.
Speaking in an interview on Kumasi-based Oyerepa TV on Monday, he lamented the decline in the country’s economy and bemoaned the inability of government to lessen the hardship of Ghanaians.
“Right now we have an economic-hardship pandemic which is even killing more people than COVID. We have always known about the President visiting our homes to say ‘fellow Ghanaians’.
“But now the problem we have is more than COVID. [That is], the challenges we’re having, [and] the stress in the system. The pressure is killing people. The current economic hardship has even given people high blood pressure”, he noted.
Mr Ofosu-Ampofo’s comments adds to the sentiments of many prominent Ghanaians who have decried the country’s economic woes.
Ghana is currently experiencing a hard time, with the country’s currency, consistently falling against the US dollar and other major trading currencies.
This has subsequently contributed to the hikes in fuel prices as well as the persistent increase in the cost of living.
Against this background, a concerned group, the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA), have threatened to close all their shops on Monday, August 29, to stage a protest against the hardship in the country.
Addressing a press conference on Monday, the leadership of the group explained that the depreciation of the Cedi is having a toll on their businesses, and therefore the need for government to take active steps to address the crisis.
The members of GUTA also urged government to consider making the Chinese Yuan as the currency for importations, in order to minimise the adverse effects of the Cedi’s depreciation.
Meanwhile, government continues to assure citizens of its readiness to alleviate the plight of citizens by rolling out measures to put the country on a better economic footing.
Ghana is also expecting a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), after contacting the global lender on July 1, for economic assistance.
Source: Myjoyonline
