ECOWAS holds training for English-speaking West African countries

Only a few citizens know about the economy, Dr Ukaoha

Economic mismanagement: Citizens unable to hold government accountable, Trade lawyer

Trade lawyer, Dr Ken Ukaoha, has bemoaned the rate at which partisan politics has taken over everything including trade-related issues on the continent.

He added that the media space has also been flooded with political topics whereas matters concerning the economy are given little attention.

To buttress his claim, Dr Ukaoha averred that only a hand full of citizens are abreast of matters related to the economy. This, he said, makes it impossible for the citizenry to hold the government accountable for revenues generated and how much was used as an expenditure.

Speaking at the launch of ECOWAS-GIZ training for selected journalists from English-speaking West African countries, the specialist on international trade and development law stated that for there to be a headway towards economic recovery and sustainable development on the African continent, this narrative where politics is made the priority of every African country needed to change.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with GhanaWeb, Dr Ukaoha said, "Politics in the whole of the region appears to have gradually eclipsed economic and trade-related issues. These things start with discussions. Today, what we have across the length and breadth of Africa essentially is the position where politicians and politics are given the front burner…if you look at the front pages of papers, what comes on the cover page for people to see are mostly political issues…you see economic issues very small coverage, when they are going to be printed, they are hidden inside the newspapers where tiny fronts are used sometimes as well and you can’t even recognize the intent, purpose and their implications for the country."

"Few people talk about economies, few people know about how revenues are generated by their countries, few citizens are not able to hold their government accountable to how much are being generated as revenues, how much have been expended…," he stated in the interview with GhanaWeb's Ernestina Serwaa Asante.

He, therefore, urged the media to be unwavering in their reportage to effect change in the sub-region and not be used as a political tool for these politicians to achieve their ulterior motives.

Watch the interview below:

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