Focus on fixing economy not celebrations – IMANI

Civil Society Organisation, IMANI Africa, believes Ghana should have seized the opportunity to reflect on building a robust economy anchored on a reformed public sector and not wasting scarce resources on Independence Day celebrations.

The country has in recent times, recorded deteriorating economic indicators with inflation hitting over 50% and a depreciating cedi that has increased the cost of living.

This has pushed the government to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a $3 billion extended credit facility to help revive the economy.

The government as part of measures to rescue the ailing economy has undertaken a domestic debt exchange programme as part of a comprehensive debt restructuring to meet the IMF’s condition for support.

Franklin Cudjoe, President of IMANI Africa, in an interview with Citi News said the current situation calls for a reconsideration of the celebration for efforts to be made towards industrialisation.

“We have imposed on ourselves an economy that is not able to bring the needed results and our managers are partly to blame. I thought that we would use this 66th anniversary to relive the morals of a good society liberating the entrepreneurial energies of every Ghanaian that can build the country productively and move away from dependency. That capacity must be formed on a very reformed public sector that can deliver”.

He also backed calls by some persons like former President John Mahama who say the money spent on the celebrations should have been used to procure vaccines for children although others say the event will boost the local economy of the region.

This comes as some roads leading to the venue for the celebration have seen a facelift with more than 2,000 kilometres of road reportedly fixed.

“Ordinarily, given the theme for this year’s celebration – Our Unity, Our Strength and Our Purpose, obviously, it will mean that, if there was something more challenging we are faced with like the case of lack of vaccines then presumably then we need to cut back on the celebration and use the funds to cater for these critically needed vaccines,” Franklin Cudjoe added.