Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Ofoase Ayirebi lawmaker, has stated that members of the new administration seem to be in conflict over key responsibilities, in response to the formation of the seven-member National Economic Dialogue (NED) Planning Committee chaired by Dr. Ishmael Yamson.
Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the former Minister of Works and Housing, questioned the role of the real economic sector ministers as Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson promises to create jobs. He pointed out the contradiction between signals of fiscal expansionism and President’s call for fiscal consolidation, raising concerns about the practicality of the ideas discussed at such forums.
He expressed hope that the National Economic Dialogue would generate feasible ideas to speed up the recovery that began in 2024. Nkrumah also noted that National Economic Dialogues were common before 2012, with President Mahama leading the National Economic Forum (Senchi) in 2014, and President Akufo-Addo expanding them to cover other sectors through the National Policy Summits starting in 2017.
Kojo Oppong Nkrumah expressed support for the new administration continuing the dialogue, noting that such discussions strengthen democracy by building consensus on key issues. However, he highlighted that the real challenge lies in implementing solutions. He pointed out that many recommendations from previous forums, such as the Senchi Consensus and the 2017-2018 National Policy Summits, were ignored, raising doubts about whether the current forum’s recommendations will influence the fiscal and economic programs for 2025-2028.
Oppong Nkrumah further expressed concerns that the National Economic Dialogue could be used as a platform for the new administration to backtrack on its major promises, warning that such actions could severely damage faith in democracy. He cautioned against a “Politics of Promise-Win-and-Switch,” emphasizing the importance of honoring commitments to the people, especially the youth who voted with high expectations.
The members of the NED Planning Committee, announced on January 26, 2025, include Dr. K.Y. Amoako, Professor John Gatsi, Mohammed Samara, Nelly Mireku, Anthony Sarpong, and Ernest De-Graft Egyir. The announcement was made by Felix Kwakye Ofosu, Acting Spokesperson to the President.
The National Economic Dialogue (NED) aims to provide a platform for addressing Ghana’s critical development challenges. It will focus on discussing policy trade-offs and building consensus on necessary reforms to transform the country into a high-growth, inclusive, and resilient economy. According to the statement, the government envisions the NED achieving three main objectives: communicating the true state of Ghana’s economy to stakeholders and the public, developing a homegrown fiscal consolidation program to guide the national budget, and highlighting key structural reforms and policy priorities crucial for resetting the economy.
