Ghanaian economist Dr Kofi Amoah has called for politicians to stop living lavish lifestyles whilst the country is simultaneously broke.
Speaking in an interview with GhanaWeb, he called for the adoption of the cost-saving proposals and suggestions made by popular Namibian politician McHenry Venaani when Namibia faced a similar situation.
In 2019, Namibia’s opposition leader told the government during a press conference that they must introduce harsher austerity measures like reducing the number of vehicles assigned to politicians, preventing government officials from flying first-class apart from the President and other measures.
According to Dr Amoah, adopting these measures would show to the people that the country is indeed struggling, rather than the status quo of politicians using the little money available to fund their extravagant lifestyles.
Kofi Amoah told GhanaWeb in an interview that “Ghana can gain not only in cost savings but we can gain with simple lifestyles of leaders to show that we are not a rich country but a poor, struggling one.
“The Namibia example of cost savings must be replicated all over Africa, especially in “broke” Ghana. Our expenditure patterns have created an unpardonable class structure… the HAVES and HAVENOTS, where the Haves live as vampires on the blood of the nation, and the HAVENOTS are the victims and poor losers.” he opined.
The government of Ghana is currently engaged in talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a $3bn loan facility.
This comes on the back of an ailing Ghanaian economy characterised by a weak, depreciating cedi, galloping inflation and rising debt service cost.
The cost of living has become unconscionably high, leading to economic hardship on an unprecedented scale.
According to Dr Amoah, other African countries went through the same issues and we can look to some of them to take inspiration on what to do.
Source: theGhanaianVoice.Com