The leadership of the various labour unions in the country is not optimistic about any positive changes ahead of the President’s State of the Nation Address slated for Tuesday, February 27.
The general secretary of the Ghana Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU), Edward Kareweh, questioned the government’s assertion of improving the Ghanaian economy when there are no jobs.
“The unemployment has gone so high; how can you say that we have managed the economy in such a way that things have improved when people have no jobs?”
“Prices of goods and services have gone up, transportation has gone up, fuel has gone up, the cedi is on a free fall, where is the economic management?” he quizzed.
Edward Kareweh maintained that the “President can say whatever he wants to say,” but the labour unions would not be convinced.
Also, the President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Angel Carbonu, on his part, noted that “in his [President Akufo-Addo’s] last State of the Nation address, I expected him to say goodbye to us.”
“I do not have too much hope and expectations in what the President is going to address the nation on,” he emphasized.
According to Mr Carbonu, the economic situation in the country continues to get dire by the day, indicating that “values of income are dwindling by the day, prices are skyrocketing, and we’ve not gotten ourselves out of the economic quagmire we pushed ourselves into.”
However, the general secretary for the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Thomas Musah Tanko, was of the view that all is not well with the country’s economy, which has necessitated the visit to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
“All is not well with us so we are currently with the IMF, meaning we are currently at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) seeking medication for revival to come out,” he lamented.
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Mr Tanko further noted that the lack of consistency with government policies is the bane of the country’s economic situation. He said that several proposals and suggestions Labour offered to the government ahead of the 2023 budget were not implemented.
“Look at the 2023 budget. We spoke extensively about the issues on how we can mobilise resources. The difficulty is that we sometimes say A, then we go and do B, that has been our woe,” he said on News360.
President Akufo-Addo will, on Tuesday, February 27, 2024, deliver his last but one constitutional address on the state of the nation under his stewardship.
The address is expected to touch on all sectors of the country. The economy remains a critical theme ahead of the address amidst the country’s programme under the IMF.
Unemployment, education, health and security would also be keenly monitored, especially going into the December 7 general elections.