A chief policy analyst at the Ghana Institute of Public Policy Options (GIPO), Dr Charles Wereko-Brobbey, has said President Akufo-Addo’s address on the economy lacked substance.

According to him, there was nothing said about real actions being taken by the government to deal with the current downturn of the economy.

He observed that the president’s speech was characterised by only a “litany of everybody else in the world is suffering” without substantial measures currently being implemented to salvage the ailing economy.

Those hints of future actions as announced by the president were just disappointing, he reckoned.

“I’m hoping that three weeks from now in the so-called 2023 budget, we’d begin to see what this government is actually doing in substantial terms to actually make sure that it is setting the economy back on a track for full recovery.

“But sending the signals that ‘I know you’re in pain but at least somebody else will come and heal your pain’ is not very calm,” he said on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, Monday.

Dr Wereko-Brobbey noted that although the president referenced other countries facing hardships, he rather failed to learn from their examples on the substantive steps they are taking to enhance their economic fortunes.

“So, on the whole, [it was] very disappointing and I hope that the future encounters that we have would be less ‘by the fireside‘ but real and substantial discussions on measures being taken.

“Don’t hint, talk about actions you are taking,” he advised.

In a related development, the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, is wondering what President Akufo-Addo hoped to achieve after addressing the nation on the state of the economy on Sunday evening.

According to the Tamale South legislator, if the President sought to inspire hope, then he failed woefully.

Mr Iddrisu said the 30-minute speech was more of a campaign message than one that was meant to rekindle optimism amongst the citizenry in these difficult times.