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Opinions of Friday, 18 November 2022

Columnist: Joel Savage

Can a Ghanaian buy the same products that cost 10 euros when converted to cedis?

Some vegetables on display Some vegetables on display

Due to tribalism, a large percentage of NPP politicians and Ghanaians in the Diaspora are reluctant to recognize the failure of the NPP government or Akufo Addo, persuading Ghanaians to believe that troubles exist everywhere, particularly in Europe and America. These individuals are defending Ghana's incompetence. No country in Europe or the United States of America can ever compare to Ghana's challenges.

Their actions demonstrate that the politics of the NPP government are for the party and themselves, and not the general populace. In actuality, the NPP is a political party that does not represent the people. This is one of the factors contributing to the tremendous corruption of both deceased and existing NPP politicians.

While price increases for commodities in Europe and the United States are frequently protested, even if they are just 50 cents or $1.00, in Ghana, price increases for commodities range from 200% to 300%.

With 10 Euros, I went to the supermarket this morning and bought these items. I also attached the receipt, which listed the cost of the following items: rice, E1.29; cooking oil, E2.99; tomatoes, E1.06; chicken, E2.99; and onion, 29 cents. The total cost of all the products, plus the hot pepper I paid E1.00 for in an African shop, was 9.62 Euros. Can all the things be bought with Cedis if 10 Euros are converted to the local currency? And even if everything could be bought, how many Ghanaians could afford it?

Therefore, those tribal bigots who claim there are hardships everywhere in the United States of America and Europe, particularly Germany, should move to Ghana and join the majority of people who are unable to eat two square meals a day and those who graduated from universities more than five years ago but are still looking for employment. Massive corruption and poor leadership are to blame for Ghana's current political and economic problems.

No European nation or the United States of America possesses the wide range of resources that Ghana has. Our nation is well-known for its gold, diamonds, bauxite, cocoa, oil, manganese, and other natural resources, but it has made little development in comparison to Europe and the United States because of efficiency in production and its effective criminal justice system, while Ghanaians continue to encourage corruption and incompetence, due to tribalism.

The current economic crisis and excessive inflation have nothing to do with the coronavirus or the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Ghana is in a major crisis with a grim future as a result of ongoing corruption and a lack of effective leadership. In contrast to the reality that a Ghanaian on a pension cannot find a job in any region of Ghana, at the age of 65, I started working full-time a couple of months ago.

Therefore, dishonest NPP politicians must quit convincing Ghanaians that hardships exist worldwide, even in Europe and America.

Although more Europeans and citizens of America perished from the coronavirus than in any country in Africa, their economies are significantly superior to those of any African country.

Even though Belgium, a nation that doesn't plant cocoa, has a thriving chocolate business that has generated thousands of jobs for both locals and foreigners, yet, Ghana, a nation that does, is facing a severe employment crisis. Is this problem not a result of the leadership's inefficiency?

What can you expect from a government that isn't interested in creating work for its people? What, more crucially, might we anticipate from a government that isn't even ready to spend money on and reopens every factory that Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the former president of Ghana, abandoned idle?

More importantly, what can you fairly expect from a government that has given up on every project that the previous administration, NDC, started but never finished?

These tribal individuals live like kings and queens, can purchase whatever they want, and eat whatever they want, even though goods at African shops in Europe and America are more expensive than those in Ghana.

However, they want Ghanaians to believe that the challenges currently in the country exist everywhere. Why are they being so unfair and dishonest? I am kindly inviting them to visit Ghana and stay there for a month while the NPP is in power.

This is not an exaggeration because chicken and eggs are affordable, for just €10.00, I can buy chicken, rice, tomato, cooking oil, and rice to make a meal. To make it apparent, I will break it down.

1. Six eggs can be purchased for 90 cents or a chicken for Euros 3.00.
2. Tomatoes can be priced at Euro 1.
3. The price for onions is just Euros 1.
4. The price of cooking oil might range from $1 to even less than a Euro.

You will need to spend a total of 8.50 cents if you want to use a chicken to prepare your food. Just two pieces of hot pepper can be purchased for your supper in an African shop for 1.50 cents.

What I see is that it will be much easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for these tribal bigots to speak against Akufo Addo, and because they pretend they don't know the hardships that the majority of Ghanaians go through. They don't care if Ghana's economy collapses, the currency falls, or corruption, crime, and unemployment rates increase, as long as Akufo Addo is the president.

The time has come for Ghanaians to tell the government that the nation's assets, such as gold, bauxite, diamonds, cocoa, and timber, belong to Ghanaians and not to tribal people or political parties. Ghanaians should not allow themselves to be duped. Enough is enough.