The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) has recently made headlines with a report claiming that 68% of Ghanaians approve of President Mahama’s leadership.

But let us be honest, how does that approval rating help when food prices are straining families and jobs are scarcer than rain in the harmattan?

What the IEA conveniently downplays is the real suffering revealed by its own data. Over 91% of Ghanaians say they are concerned about the price of food and consumer goods, and a massive 71% say they are “very concerned.”

This is not just economic anxiety; it is desperation. Families are cutting back on meals, skipping essential needs, and constantly adjusting to survive yet another price increase.

To make matters worse, this comes just days after the Finance Minister announced an inflation rate of 3.5%. Frankly, that figure feels disconnected from market reality. Ask any trader in Makola or any mother trying to buy tomatoes and oil in Kasoa. They will tell you prices have not dropped.

If anything, they are climbing. A statistic may look good on paper, but it means nothing if it does not match what people feel at the chop bar, in the market, or at the pump.

Then there is unemployment: 46% of respondents in the same IEA report cite joblessness as the most pressing issue, followed closely by illegal mining (30%), which is destroying farms, water bodies, and any hope for environmental sustainability.

And yet, with all this on the ground, the report focuses on “approval ratings”? That’s not just tone-deaf; it is dangerous.

It risks creating a false sense of stability when people need solutions, not applause.

Leadership is not about popularity; it is about performance. Until every Ghanaian can afford three square meals, find decent work, and trust that their rivers will not run muddy from galamsey, no approval rating should be cause for celebration.

Ghana needs bold, honest conversations. Not polished reports that celebrate approval while ignoring the pain in people’s pockets.

Isaac Ofori
Tutor, Winneba Senior High School.
Social Activist and Human Rights Advocate
isaacofori449@gmail.com