A staunch member of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Gabby Otchere Darko, has heavily descended on people calling for a ministerial reshuffle to take out officials whose sectors are non-performing. He tweeted that ministerial reshuffles won’t solve the economic woes of the country.
He asked critics if a ministerial reshuffle would bring down inflation, stop the war in Ukraine, and make the Cedi forever stronger than the Dollar? This comes after many Ghanaians, including well-known political and economic experts, urged the President to reshuffle his cabinet.
Before the second term of President Akufo-Addo, ministerial reshuffling was something of an annual ritual in Ghana. Ministers and CEOs were reshuffled with some performing significantly well but with some failing woefully. This essay seeks to discuss the challenges Ghana is facing now and if indeed ministerial reshuffle should be the least of our worries now.
Cost of Living in Ghana
The topic and cry of most Ghanaians now is the cost of living in the country. It is no secret that the cost of living in Ghana is high. In fact, according to a recent report by the World Bank, Ghana is one of the most expensive countries in Africa to live in. This is due to several factors, topping the list is the high cost of food and transportation.
So, what does this mean for the average Ghanaian? Well, it means that we have to be very careful with our money. The average Ghanaian has to spend more than he or she used to spend. In an interview with The Vocal Ghanaian, a midwife and a mother of two stated that now she spends almost thrice the amount she used to spend 5 months ago.
A public servant at the Information Service Department also revealed that because of the high price of transportation he walks for a certain distance before picking up a car to work. He added that he used to pick a car from his house to work but now he has to make some sacrifices.
The current government has taken Ghana to International Monetary Fund (IMF), as the economy is in tatters. This is the 17th time Ghana is going under the policies of the IMF, and Ghana has been ranked as the 2nd debt risk country, but the country is still piling up debt by seeking a loan from the IMF and other sources.
The Arguments
It was the annual ritual of some presidents to reshuffle ministers, MMDCES, and CEOs of state-owned enterprises, and institutions. We have been in Ghana to know that that did not solve our problems. Of course, some will say reshuffling boosted some sectors more than others because ministers or top management reshuffled performed well in their new sectors than in their previous.
That being said the answer to our problems is for the government to do a better job of managing the economy. Reshuffling cannot solve the problem of the country. We need to address the root causes of our high cost of living, and that starts with the government being mindful of spending.
The Ghanaian economy has been in a state of flux for some time now. Ministerial reshuffling, though it may provide some short-term relief, is not a long-term solution to the country’s economic woes. That does not mean that non-performing ministers should be left in office. Desperate times call for desperate solutions.
To get the economy back on track, Ghana needs to focus on creating jobs, reducing corruption, and improving infrastructure. These are just a few of the many steps that need to be taken to get the country back on its feet. Until these issues are addressed and resolved, no matter how many ministers there are or who they are appointed by, the Ghanaian economy will continue to struggle.
One sad truth about our country is that the Sports Authority is allocated more resources than the Youth Authority which is responsible for the development of youth in the country. Resources in the country are allocated not on needs but on what some bureaucrats deem important.