Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has cautioned that Ghana’s persistent culture of political score-settling is undermining national development and worsening youth unemployment.
Speaking at the Young Commons Forum summit at the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) on Saturday, September 30, the Effutu MP lamented what he described as a destructive cycle of political persecution where successive governments prioritise targeting opponents over implementing policies.
“I am sure you are tired of the ‘I do you, you do me’ vicious cycle of political persecutions,” he said. “Instead of political parties launching straight into their manifesto agenda to better the lives of the people, what politicians often think is that by bringing down their opponents, that would make them clean and popular.”
According to Afenyo-Markin, this practice continues to derail key development priorities, including job creation for the youth.
“Unfortunately, that is leading to an unfortunate situation where Ghana’s progress is still way behind,” he stated.
He also took a swipe at the current administration, questioning its achievements nearly a year into office and demanding clarity on how it is addressing youth unemployment.
“All too soon December will come and one year will be gone, and the question is: what have they to show? The youth unemployment situation—have they added on to the unemployment, or have they taken more of the youth into employment? These are the real questions,” he noted.
The Minority Leader further urged the youth to move away from partisan social media attacks and instead hold leaders accountable through constructive dialogue.
“Let’s not spend our time on social media abusing one another. Let us spend the time to question policies, show patriotism, and be determined to make Ghana a better place,” he advised.
