Charterred economist Mr. Prince Obiri Yeboah has described as ridiculous the claims by President Akufo-Addo that Africa suffered the most severe repercussions due to the Russia-Ukraine war.
The economist said it makes no economic sense for the President to make such a statement since it has no basis or merit.
To him, it is simply the president’s excuse for his failure in managing the economy. President Akufo-Addo has pointed to the war’s negative impact on African economies, living standards, and inflation rates.
The president indicated that the situation has a far-reaching influence beyond the scope of the war.
“We oppose colonialism and domination, but in this context, we view Russian aggression in Ukraine.”
In his opinion, Africa has become an unintended victim of the war, with interrupted supply chains causing havoc on the continent’s businesses.
“The consequences of the invasion go far beyond the confines of Europe. Indeed, in many ways, Africa has been the greatest victim,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo made the remarks while addressing participants at the Global Peace Summit in Switzerland.
He emphasised that the war caused high inflation and increased food costs, which had a severe impact on living standards throughout Africa.
“This has had a terrible impact on our economies, on living standards, and on high inflation,” he said.
However, Mr. Obiri Yeboah claims that the government’s justifications are getting excessive, and that it is past time to adopt ways to address our local problems rather than constantly blaming other causes.
Speaking on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM with host Kwabena Agyapong, he stated that some of the countries hardest hit by the war have not even used these actions as an excuse.
He stated, “My initial response is that Africans, and for that matter, Ghanaians, particularly the current government, are constantly looking for reasons for their incapacity to run the economy efficiently. How is it possible that Africa would be the most affected by the Russia-Ukraine conflict? If your listeners comprehend what I’m saying, they should look at our economic or international relationships with Russia and Ukraine and consider whether the war has damaged these areas. How has the conflict affected us so negatively that we continue to make excuses for our poor economic performance during the war?
Even Germany, which opened its borders to Ukrainians to come and stay there and give them benefits, is not complaining like our leaders are. I believe the excuses are too many. I have consistently maintained that this is not the first time we have a government in power with the international community facing an economic crisis. We saw a government that came into office and managed the economy in the face of a global crisis. I will not take you far. We saw how Atta Mills managed the economy during the Arab Spring in 2009. So when the ruling government keeps on making excuses as if this has not happened before, then I get nauseated. The Arab Spring affected the whole of North Africa. If a Ghanaian will acknowledge that a certain government did well at that time in the face of the challenges confronting us, we will realise that we had to bring back home more than 200,000 Ghanaians from Libya who were remitting money to Ghana.
How many Ghanaians were brought back home from Ukraine and Russia back to Ghana? Those who were there were either students or those who had gone there to learn. The point I want to make is that this is not the first time we have seen a government in government with a catastrophic impact. The Arab Spring crossed from North Africa to other countries, and the impact was severe, yet the government at the time didn’t use it as an excuse. The excuses are becoming too much. We ought to find solutions to our domestic problems and stop making excuses. We can no longer maintain their excuses.”
Source: rainbowradioonline.com
