The Minority in Parliament has called on the Mahama administration to move beyond political rhetoric and focus on implementing policies that address unemployment and the rising cost of living.

According to the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Abdulai Jinapor, the government has been in office long enough to shift its attention from assigning blame to delivering concrete solutions to the challenges confronting Ghanaians.

Mr Jinapor argued that the administration should concentrate on policies that stimulate economic growth, create jobs and ease the financial burden on households.

“The mandate has already been given. Government should quickly move away from this rhetoric, blame game, and almost acting as though it is still campaigning for the mandate of the people,” he said.

“They should tackle the concrete issues on the ground and provide solutions, deal with unemployment, put in place measures and policies to alleviate the suffering of the people and bring down the cost of living because that is still a major issue out there.”

The former Lands and Natural Resources Minister described unemployment, particularly among young people, as one of the most pressing challenges facing the country.

He stressed the need for deliberate interventions to support private sector growth, arguing that sustainable job creation would largely come from a thriving private sector.

“You are talking about unemployment in the private sector, which is where you have even more difficulty. You are talking about growth and government spending. We are discussing measures and stimulus that will ensure the private sector is stimulated to grow, be active and generate the hundreds of thousands and millions of jobs that the Ghanaian people are yearning for, particularly the youth,” he stated.

Mr Jinapor said the Minority's concerns were prompted by remarks made by the Minister for Finance during a statement delivered in Parliament.

He maintained that the government should focus less on explaining past challenges and more on implementing policies capable of improving the livelihoods of citizens.

“The point we are making from the Minority side is that enough of the rhetoric, enough of the blame game, enough of saying this didn't go well and that didn't go well,” he said.

“Eighteen months into the administration of this government, they should get on with delivering on the mandate and putting in place the policies and measures which will deal with the two major issues confronting the Ghanaian people, particularly the youth of our country — unemployment and cost of living.”