March 02, 2016 Ghana’s President John Mahama recently asserted that his government will maintain strict fiscal discipline ahead of the country’s elections in November. According to him, these measures will prevent a repeat of the mistakes made during the last election.
While addressing members of parliament in a state of the nation address, President Mahama said:
“We must practice an even greater degree of fiscal prudence in 2016. The being of our economic management has been the cyclical huge election year budget deficit; it is an unfavorable narrative for which Ghana unfortunately has become famous. I have assured the nation and our partners that my administration will exercise strict fiscal discipline even in this election year.”
Mahama, who is seeking a second term, will face a tough battle against opposition leader Nana Akufo-Addo in the presidential run-in.
Despite his proposed austere measure, several economic analysts have cautioned the government to avoid over-spending in a bid to remain in office.
Elsewhere, Bernard Mornah, chairman of the People’s National Convention Party did a one on the president saying:
“The president has not been able to tell us the level of unemployment in this country and what within the 3 years that he’s been in office what he’s been able to do to address this deficit in unemployment and for me it is worrying. We see daily and annually that we churns out over.. about 53,000 graduates a year how many of them are being able to be employed in a particular given year and this has not been attended to so for me it is a major setback in this state of the nation address that yes you have done the development but have been able to contain the level of unemployment that confront our people?”
Many on the streets of Accra seem to share the same sentiments as the government critics. According to them, they are struggling to cope with the economic challenges.
However, President Mahama has vowed to pursue prudent economic management to eradicate poverty and create jobs, adding that Ghanaians should have faith in his government.