The Ranking Member on Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, has criticised the government’s economic narrative.

The former Deputy Education Minister argued that claims of improving macroeconomic indicators mean little if citizens continue to face severe hardship.

Contributing to the debate on the 2026 State of the Nation Address presented by John Dramani Mahama in Parliament on February 27, the Assin South Member of Parliament said the country cannot ignore the realities facing ordinary citizens despite official claims of progress.

“Amid all the threats in our geopolitics and amid the threat of extremism and violent extremism and terrorism, we cannot continue to have these calls go on deaf ears,” he stated.

Rev. Ntim Fordjour questioned the relevance of government’s economic achievements if they do not translate into relief for the population.

“Today we can boast about inflation going down, we can boast about exchange rate going down, but if our citizens are feeling palpable hardship, then what is the essence of what appears to be declining?” he asked.

He also criticised delays in payments to cocoa farmers, arguing that such challenges undermine the credibility of the government’s economic narrative.

“What shall it profit this government if you are bragging about artificial economic improvement when you are not even able to pay cocoa farmers what is due them for four good months?” he said.

The lawmaker further pointed to challenges affecting security personnel, including delays in pension and allowance payments.

“What shall it profit a country to have exchange rates that appear to be low and inflation that appears to be low, when government even fails to pay the pensions of our soldiers and the rent allowances of our hardworking prison officers?” he added.