A member of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, is of the view that public angst against Akufo-Addo will deepen in 2023.

According to the lawmaker, this will be fueled by government’s proposed debt exchange programme which has already been met with fierce resistance from some section of the populace.

In a Facebook post at the start of the new year, he noted that per his observations, this resistance will have an adverse effect on Ghana’s IMF agreement which will further compound the country’s economy woes.

“Public agitations against the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia/Ofori-Atta debt exchange programme predicted to reach a crescendo as an overwhelming majority of Ghanaians will outrightly reject the draconian terms.

“The debt exchange resistance and considerable turmoil would lead to a substantial delay in an IMF Board Agreement, which development will further exacerbate Ghana’s current economic calamity”, the MP wrote.

Over the last year, the country’s economy has been a topical issue of national discusssions, following its historic decline.

The dip in the economy was accompanied by excruciating accounts of hardship on the path of many Ghanaians.

In the circumstances, the Cedi recorded an all time fall against the US dollar and other major trading currencies; leading to an increment in fuel prices and the general cost of living.

Earlier assurances of the economy’s stabilisation proved to be immaterial, as the country had to finally knock on the doors of the International Monetary Fund on 1st July, 2022 for an economic bailout.

The move was also heavily criticised, with many Ghanaians accusing the NPP of double standards after it had berated the NDC in opposition for going to the IMF.

A section of the populace also took to social media to demand the resignation of Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta. This gained momentum with the hashtag, KenMustGo.

Some MPs in Parliament also join the bandwagon and called for Mr Ofori-Atta to be sacked.

But amidst the prolonged agitations, tempers became calm a little as the cedi started recording a steady rise against the dollar in the closing embers of the year.

In view of this, the institute of Energy Security (IES) also predicted that, fuel products will reduce, starting Sunday, January 1, 2023.

However, Mr Ablakwa believes that the temporary cool of Ghanaians will soon be overthrown with more agitations from government.

Meanhwile, government has assured that it is throwing in all arsenals at its disposal to restore the economy and place it on a more desirable footing.

This was contained in the President’s earlier Christmas Day message, as well as his New Year message to Ghanaians at the beginning of 2023.