The Ranking Member on the Energy Committee in Parliament has taken a jab at Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for the obvious challenges the economy of Ghana is going through.
According to the Member of Parliament for the Yapei/Kusawgu constituency, the performance of the Ghanaian economy under the watch of the Vice President as the head of the Economic Management Team, has been abysmal and warrants his resignation.
“The Economic Management Team under Dr. Bawumia has failed woefully. Indeed, they have run out of ideas. The Vice President has gone into comatose; he is nowhere to be found. This is the time he must demonstrate leadership; this is the time Government must show that it cares for the people,” he said.
The Minority spokesperson further called on the President to dissolve the Economic Management Team under the leadership of the Vice President and called on the Vice President to resign.
“This Government has been a monumental failure. We call on President Akufo Addo to dissolve the Economic Management Team because they have not lived up to expectation. Indeed, if I were the Vice President, what I would be doing is to tender in my resignation as the head of the Economic Management Team. His performance has been abysmal.”
The Vice President has always been touted as an economic wizard by his party and therefore his pairing with President Akufo Addo who is a lawyer and an experienced politician on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), was highly approved by many Ghanaians because they would balance each other in the administration of the state.
However, with the current economic challenges characterized by high fuel and commodity prices as well as the high depreciation of the Ghanaian currency against the Dollar which has crossed the Gh 8 to a Dollar mark, the prowess of the Vice President Mohammed Bawumia as an economic guru is being called to question.
Addressing a press conference in Parliament at the sidelines of the sitting of the House on Friday, March 18, 2022, the Minority spokesperson on Mines and Energy, John Abdulai Jinapor said, the Economic Management Team under Vice President Bawumia has failed woefully.
He pointed out that, “In less than 3 months, petroleum prices have increased more than 70 percent at the pumps. If you take 33 African countries, Ghana has the highest price when it comes to petroleum products at the pumps… I am talking about our peers, including countries that are not oil producing countries.
“Ghana’s petroleum pricing today is the worst among the 33 African countries. Indeed, transport pricing has increased for at least 15 percent; inflation today is at the rate of 15 percent; in the Greater Accra, it is about 19 percent; this morning, the Dollar to Cedi exchange rate is trading at 8.5 Ghana Cedi; the Ghanaian Cedi is the worst in Africa in terms of performance with other major currencies; the price of diesel at the pump is over Gh 40 per gallon. That is the true state of the Ghanaian economy today,” he said.
“Instead of this Government sitting up and thinking out of the box, all what we hear is that they do not control world market pricing. The petrol we buy today is largely on account of the depreciation of the Cedi. We control the Cedi here.”
Source: Clement Akoloh||parliamentnews360.com
