Audio By Carbonatix
Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, while delivering the 2024 budget statement, on Wednesday, on the floor of Parliament revealed that Ghana is set to hit one trillion Ghana cedis gross domestic product (GDP).
This, he said, is a marked improvement from the GH¢219.5 billion the Akufo-Addo government inherited in 2016.
However, reacting to this figure, Economic and Political Risk Analyst, Dr. Theophilus Acheampong, said touting the country’s projected one trillion Ghana cedi GDP as an achievement is mere political grandstanding.
He stated that one trillion Ghana cedi is a meaningless metric in the face of rising inflation and a depreciating cedi.
“One trillion cedis if you convert it is just about 83 billion, the current economy is worth about 79 or so billion. So if you do the adjustment going forward with all of the good rates you’re going to get there anyway.
“So whether or not you’re going to get one trillion economy or not, it’s practically meaningless in the grand scheme of things,” he said.
According to him, the Minister should have focused on better growth indicators such as gross national income and per capita to really demonstrate the trajectory of the country.
“So things like your gross national income, or per capita or other growth rate that better reflect the macro economic situation of the country and better reflect our lived economic prosperity, should be looked at.
“Because at the end of the day it’s about the man on the street, the waakye seller, the koko seller and those are the people this budget has got to work for.
“So when we throw figures like that about I get worried because at the end of the day again it’s more of political grandstanding and it doesn’t really add anything as much to our economic debate,” he explained.
Meanwhile, the Finance Minister has vowed to ensure that the country achieves this yardstick within the final year of President Akufo-Addo’s tenure in office.
According to him, the government is jealously guarding the foundation for sustained economic expansion.
Latest Stories
-
Five-year-old boy dies after getting caught in ski travelator
1 hour -
‘This is an abuse of trust’- PUWU-TUC slams gov’t over ECG privatisation plans
1 hour -
Children should be protected from home fires – GNFS
1 hour -
Volta Regional Minister urges unity, respect for Chief Imam’s ruling after Ho central mosque shooting
1 hour -
$214M in gold-for-reserves programme not a loss, Parliament’s economy chair insists it’s a transactional cost
2 hours -
Elegant homes estate unveils ultra-modern sports complex in Katamanso
2 hours -
ECG can be salvaged without private investors -TUC Deputy Secretary-General
2 hours -
Two pilots killed after mid-air helicopter collision in New Jersey
2 hours -
2025 in Review: Fire, power and the weight of return (January – March)
3 hours -
Washington DC NPP chairman signals bid for USA chairmanship
3 hours -
Sheikh Ali Muniru remains Volta regional Imam, says National chief Imam
3 hours -
GoldBod CEO accuses Minority of hypocrisy over Gold-for-Reserves losses
3 hours -
Sammy Gyamfi to address alleged losses under gold for reserves programme on Jan 5
4 hours -
BoG–GoldBod $214m hit is design failure, not market loss – Minority
4 hours -
Festive season sees minor fires, but domestic cases hit 15–20 daily – GNFS
4 hours
