Features
Proposed IMF bailout exposes unguarded utterances from our political leaders
Politics is the way people living in groups make decisions. It is about making agreements between people so that they can live together in groups such as tribes, cities or countries. In large groups, such as countries, some people may spend a lot of their time making such agreements.
It is very important to care about politics because you should know what is going on around you and also to have a say in things around you. The political decisions people make will affect many lives. Many people see politics as the government and the laws being made and that is true, but in a way it is more complicated. Alexis Mortensen in a write up about the importance of politics said; “We need to care about politics because the decision people make will affect many lives.”
UNGUARDED AND LOOSE POLITICAL STATEMENTS FROM PARTY STALWARTS
Having defined politics and how important it is to society, I am inclined to situate it to Ghana where the political terrain has taken a different dimension which allows the political actors (politicians) to say serious things without weighing their consequences in the future. In their quest to win the mandates of the people, they mount various platforms during their political campaigns, opening their mouths wide and saying all kinds of unguarded statements and loose utterances. They forget that these same utterances once they are in print and electronically recorded can be used against them by their opponents in the future with serious consequences.
They do not end there with these negative utterances when they assume leadership positions and various ministerial and other roles in government. They say worse things they cannot substantiate or defend, thus giving room to opponents to take them on and sometimes accuse and ‘blast them while in office. Some of the notable utterances were, “I shall protect the Public Purse. I am not corrupt and will never be corrupt. I can develop Ghana without borrowing, the money is here. I will transform Ghana in 18 months. I will not operate family and friends’ government. I will fight corruption with the Anas principle. I will make the Korle lagoon and Odor river tourists attraction. I will build a factory in every district. I will give each constituency $1 million every year. I will never go to the IMF for a bailout. I will build 111 hospitals in 18 months. The hikes in fuel prices will be a thing of the past” among others.
NPP TAKEN TO TASK FOR SEEKING HELP FROM IMF
Such is the situation we find ourselves in Ghana at the moment, where the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) government has been taken to task by the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) led by its flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, following the announcement on Friday, July 1, 2022 that the current government led by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has started negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to provide support for Ghana’s economy.
Before this bombshell was dropped, there had been series of utterances from NPP stalwarts and big shots including the Vice President, Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia and the Finance Minister, Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori-Atta within the past few months saying emphatically that the country would not seek assistance from the IMF. In the words of the Finance Minister, “We have committed to not going back to the IMF because the Fund knows we are moving in the right direction. Ghana is committed to managing its debt without assistance from the IMF. We have the resources and the capacity is there. We are not people of short sight”.
ASSIN CENTRAL MP EXPRESSES REGRET FOR IMF ASSISTANCE
The vociferous Assin Central Member of Parliament, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, who once stood against any decision by the government to access the IMF facility and blasted the NDC for orchestrating that unfounded allegation, has quickly made a U-turn following the government’s announcement to engage with the IMF for support to help Ghana build back in the face of the challenges currently confronting the economy saying that he was sad about that statement.
According to him even though the party bigwigs had earlier told him after the announcement on Friday, July 1, 2022 not to comment on the issue, he could not keep quiet. Hear him. “IMF? What are we going to say again? Somebody texted me, don’t say anything about the IMF. Me, I shouldn’t say anything about IMF? I will say it. He said the NDC went to the IMF for a bailout because the government mismanaged the economy. Therefore, if the NPP government is also going to the IMF for support, it is just like handing over power to NDC without a contest, straight away.”
“Because of the noise we made, I chew my words back when I said the NDC went to IMF because of mismanagement of the economy. So if NPP is also going to the IMF, what am I going to say now? So breaking the eight(using Election 2024 NPP campaign message) is going to be tough,” he said.
NDC LEADERS COMMENT ON IMF INITIATIVE BY NPP
Leading members of the opposition NDC have been talking after the announcement was made on Friday, July 1, 2022. Former President John Mahama has welcomed the decision to go to the IMF and believes that it is a step in the right direction. He however, feels that things would have been better if the government had taken bold decision earlier. However, the current government says former President Mahama was not bedeviled with any form of crisis to resort to the IMF to fix the country’s economy and, therefore does not have the moral right to criticise them.
The government still maintains that although it has transformed the economy, it was hit by a pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war that has affected the economy.
Most Ghanaians are of the school of thought that the downward trend of the economy persisted long before the Russia-Ukraine war and the COVID-19 pandemic which the government was unable to solve and, therefore laying the problem at the doorsteps of those challenges is inaccurate.
FACTORS THAT LED TO GOING TO IMF
Three years after exiting the IMF programme we are being compelled to head back for assistance. Indeed, Ghanaians in recent months have been feeling the pinch of record inflation and the impact of the war somehow amidst the cut in government spending to avoid a full-blown debt crisis.
According to statistics. Ghana’s economy grew by 3.3% in the first quarter of 2022, compared to the same period in 2021 and inflation surged to a record of 26.6 per cent in May. The country is also grappling with the high debt and a depreciating currency, the cedi. A controversial tax on electronic transactions (E-Levy) approved in April and presented as a solution to the economic challenges has also not generated the expected revenues.
Our economists are saying that going to the IMF is not a panacea to our economic problems because we will be compelled to adjust our economic policies to overcome the problems that led the country to seek financial aid. These policy adjustments are conditions for IMF loans and serve to ensure that the country will be able to repay the IMF.
GOING FOR IMF ASSISTANCE IS NON-NEGOTIABLE
It is a fact that the situation we are in now with the cost of living constantly soaring high as a result of the high inflation and the depreciation of the cedi to the dollar, there is clearly nothing we can do than to go for a bailout from the IMF. We should be ready to bite the bullet by accepting and coping with the high restrictions and conditions attached to the facility to help us out of this economic mess.
It is the hope of Ghanaians that the government will as much as possible take into consideration the high cost of living and the sufferings among the people so that in their negotiations with the IMF for the facility, they will not accept unilaterally, harsh conditions that will further worsen the plight of the people and impoverish them.
PLAYING POLITICS WITH THE LIVES OF GHANAIANS
It is indeed important for our leaders not to play politics with our way of living because it will go a long way to endanger the lives of the people. Governance is about the collective responsibility and not a preserve of a particular group. Therefore, if people outside the corridor of power, especially renowned and high profile economists have ideas that can move our dear country out of the mess, there is the need for governments to tolerate them irrespective of party affiliations. We are in the boat together and when it sinks we will perish together. We are lucky that we have two main political parties-NPP, NDC, unlike other jurisdictions across the world where they have splinter parties in parliament and, therefore we need to make a judicious use of the two main caucuses to salvage the downward trend of our economy and bring it back to life.
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By Charles Neequaye
After a heavy rain in Accra, the story Ghana repeats itself is easy to see. Drains overflow, streets turn into streams, and families are forced to wade through waist-deep, dirty water. When the floods finally recede, they leave behind more than just mud; they leave a tangled net of sachet wrappers, takeaway packs, and plastic bags that trap our neighbourhoods.
At the same time, in our homes and markets, piles of cassava peels and spoiled fruits rot in open bins, attracting pests and emitting foul odours. This is not just a nuisance; it is a national economic failure. The plastic blocking our drains and the organic matter that could restore our soils are both being treated as rubbish when they should be treated as resources.
Ghana is at a crossroads. We can continue the “take–make–waste” culture that floods our neighbourhoods, damages public health, and drains local government budgets. Or we can choose a practical, Ghana-ready circular approach: reduce plastics at the source, collect what remains efficiently, and separate organic waste so it becomes compost and bio fertiliser for farming. If Ghana harmonises plastic reduction with urban nutrient cycling, we can solve two national problems with one coordinated system cleaner cities and stronger food security.
The unseen link between plastics, floods, and food prices
Plastic pollution is often framed as an environmental issue. But in Ghana, it is also an infrastructure and public health problem. When drains are choked, flooding damages property, disrupts business, spreads disease, and increases the cost of city management. Assemblies spend scarce resources on emergency desilting and clean-up money that could have improved sanitation systems permanently. But the link does not end there. Our waste crisis is now feeding our food crisis.
Most of what Ghana throws away is not plastic. A large fraction is organic waste biodegradable material that should never be mixed with plastics in the first place. When organics and plastics are mixed in the same bins and the same trucks, everything becomes “dirty”: plastics are harder to recycle and organic matter becomes contaminated and unusable for compost. The result is a lose–lose system where nothing returns to productive use.
This matters because Ghana’s soils are tired. Farmers across the country complain about declining fertility and rising fertiliser costs. If our cities were capturing organic waste cleanly and converting it into high-quality compost or bio fertiliser, that material could return to farms as soil amendment improving yields, reducing dependence on imported inputs, and strengthening resilience. In other words, the waste we bury today is the fertility we import tomorrow.
Why the current approach keeps failing
Ghana’s waste system is still largely designed for “collection and disposal,” not “collection and recovery.” That is why, even when clean-up campaigns happen, the problem returns quickly. We are treating symptoms, not the system. Three structural failures keep recycling and composting from scaling:
1) We do not separate waste at the source: once plastics, food waste, and other refuse are mixed together, it is expensive and often unsafe to sort
2) We have weak accountability for packaging; plastic producers and major distributors profit from packaging, but the cost of cleanup is left mostly to assemblies and taxpayers. That imbalance is unsustainable.
3) We don’t link waste recovery to strong end-markets: recycling and composting only survive when there is steady demand: manufacturers buying recycled plastics and farmers or institutions buying compost. Without guaranteed markets, recovery systems collapse.
The good news is that these failures are not destiny. They are policy choices and can be corrected. To make this real, Ghana must adopt a practical two-stream approach:
- Stream 1: Dry recyclables (plastics, metals, cartons)
- Stream 2: Organic waste (food and green waste for composting)
This separation is the bridge that connects plastic reduction to nutrient cycling. When organics are kept separate, compost becomes cleaner and safer. When dry recyclables are not soaked in rot and liquids, recycling capture becomes easier and more profitable.
A Five-Point Policy Package
1. Make Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) real
Producers and major importers of plastic packaging must help fund its collection and recovery. This is not punishment; it is responsibility. EPR should require: registration of major packaging producers/importers, clear recovery targets, audited reporting, and a ring-fenced fund that supports collection, sorting, and recycling infrastructure. When producers share the cost, assemblies are less overwhelmed and recovery systems become financially viable.
2. Launch citywide source separation starting with pilots that actually scale.
Assemblies should begin with high-impact zones: markets, institutions, and dense neighbourhoods. Keep it simple: two bins (dry recyclables and organics), predictable collection days, community education in local languages, enforcement that is fair and gradual (warnings first, then penalties). The aim is not to punish households; it is to create a new normal that makes sorting easy and consistent.
3. Build composting and bio fertiliser capacity and guarantee offtake to agriculture.
Separation only matters if there is a destination. Ghana should invest in: municipal composting hubs, private compost enterprises, and quality standards to protect farmers from contaminated products. Most importantly, link compost to demand. Government agriculture programmes, district assemblies, and farmer cooperatives can create an offtake market so compost plants do not die from lack of buyers. This is where waste policy and food policy meet.
4. Integrate the informal sector properly because they are already doing the work.
Waste pickers and informal collectors are not a problem; they are part of the solution. Any serious circular strategy must include: contracts or cooperative arrangements, PPE and basic health protections, fair pricing systems at sorting centres, and training on safe handling. If we ignore the informal sector, we lose capacity. If we formalise them without respect, we create conflict. Integration must be practical and dignified.
5. Use public procurement and incentives to grow circular markets.
Circular systems need buyers. Government can help by: prioritising products made with recycled content where feasible, supporting local manufacturing of recycled plastic items (pipes, bins, furniture), providing tax incentives or concessional financing for recycling/composting businesses, and rewarding compliance and innovation instead of only punishing failure.
Final Statement
Ghana’s waste crisis is not only about litter; it is about lost opportunity. Plastic can be recovered. Organic waste can be composted. Jobs can be created across collection, sorting, processing, logistics, and retail. Assemblies can spend less on emergency clean-up and more on permanent sanitation. Farmers can access local soil amendments and reduce vulnerability to imported input shocks. But none of this happens by accident. It requires alignment: environmental regulation, local government action, private sector investment, and agricultural offtake all moving in the same direction. We do not need more sympathy speeches after floods. We need systems that prevent the next flood, reduce the next disease outbreak, and rebuild the next harvest. A circular Ghana is not a dream. It is a decision.
By Lawrencia Yeboah-Duah
There was quite a decent crowd at the Beach Club. The boys were already seated, and two waiters were standing by them, taking their orders. We also placed ours, and joined the conversation after introductions. ‘
So madam’, I said as I turned towards Kwakyewaa, ‘What are you studying in France?’ ‘Actually, I just completed my Diploma in Building Decoration. I studied Land Economy at KNUST, and whilst on a visit to France I met a school mate who was studying in a Design School, and after some discussions I also enrolled on the course’.
‘That is very interesting. So what aspects of building design did you cover?’
‘Well, naturally I studied some general aspects of buildings, then I concentrated on the fittings and other things that make them look nice’.
‘Very interesting. Perhaps you can give me a few interesting design ideas. When are you going back?’ ‘In two weeks. I need to go and find a job’.
‘I will need to talk with you at some length, before you leave’.
‘I didn’t know you were into buildings. First I learned that you were into agriculture, but yesterday Esaaba said you were rather into development work in the north’.
‘Esaaba is very correct. I have been in development work in the north for three years. But I need to discuss a building project I’m doing in Accra’.
‘Anytime. I will be very ready to help’.
After quite a bit of dancing, we decided to call it a night, and I took off with the two ladies for the ride home. ‘David’, Esaaba said, ‘thanks for a wonderful evening. What a lovely place’.
‘Yes indeed’, Kwakyewaa said. ‘Nice place, nice band, and beautiful environment. Many thanks, David’. ‘If you have really enjoyed it as you say, then let’s do it again’.
‘We promise!’ the two ladies said as if on cue, and broke into laughter.
‘David, when do you want to have the discussion you mentioned?’
‘Anytime convenient to you. How about lunchtime on Monday? I can pick you up around eleven-thirty’. ‘It is fine. I don’t have anything planned for Monday. I will be looking forward to it’.
‘I got to the house on Monday as planned, and was about to step out of the car when Kwakyewaa came out, followed by Esaaba’. ‘Esaaba’, I said, ‘I thought you would be at work at the pharmacy at this time’. ‘I should, but I stayed home to do a report for our head office. I am on my way now. I will get off at the roundabout’. ‘I will drop you at the office, but before that, you are joining us for lunch’.
‘Okay Bernard. No objection’.
‘Now, Esaaba, I need to mention this. Has Abena informed you that our relationship is over?’
‘She hasn’t told me in black and white, but I get that impression from her body language and some of her utterances. For example, I was surprised that she was going out last Friday with Jennifer when you came to the house. You had been out of town for a while, and I thought she would want to spend time with you’.
‘We haven’t sat down to discuss this, but as you said, her utterances and body language were a little unusual, but I now have confirmation that she is seeing someone.
Quite a number of people have seen them together, and she used to ask me some funny questions about my work. I hear she has been saying that I am not doing any development work, but I’m rather an agricultural extension officer, and that she has met a wealthy person who can take care of her. She’s free to believe or say anything she likes, so I won’t bother to discuss it with her. I think she would prefer that.
‘I’m surprised she hasn’t said anything to us. Perhaps she believes that because of our relationship with you, we would not approve’.
‘Maybe, but it’s her life. She’s free to do what she wants. But she can’t stop me from coming to spend time with you guys’
I dropped Esaaba at work, and drove to the office. Kwakyewa greeted Eva and Robert, and after offering her a seat, I introduced them. ‘Now Kwakyewaa’, after my B.Sc. Economics degree I did an MA in Project Management, and got a job as Project Manager with the EU, based in the north. It has been a very enjoyable job, and fortunately well paid. Soon as I started, my mentor advised me to find some run down or uncompleted buildings in prime areas, buy them and, after fixing them up, put them up for sale.
I have done several, and I have now bought a block of six houses. I have just started the process of fixing them. Now, I would like you to take a look at the block, and offer me some advice. First, take a look at these documents’. I opened a page on my laptop and placed it in front of her.
‘Wow, this is very interesting. You know, I did similar work for a firm in France. When can we go to the site?’ ‘Right now. Eva, would you like to join us? I know Robert is expecting some visitors.’
We spent over two hours at the site, with Eva and I, offering answers to her numerous questions. Finally, we arrived back at the office. ‘This is really exciting, and very impressive. I would like to make some suggestions, on design, painting, and landscape’. ‘You start work tomorrow. Eva or Robert will pick you up, and drop you after work’.
‘Okay. I will try to do as much as I can before I leave’.
‘You are assuming that I will allow you to leave in two weeks?’ She broke into great laughter. ‘Shall we get a drink before I drop you?’ ‘Of course. Let’s talk in some detail about the project. So you are a very big man. Does Abena know about this?’ ‘No. We had a good relationship until she started spending time with Jennifer. She changed completely, so I quickly lost interest’. ‘Maybe she would not have taken that decision if she really knew the kind of person you are’.
‘I think I gave her enough indication, but she is easily swayed by appearances. She and Jennifer were always talking about rich people, well dressed people, stuff like that. I resent that. I also like the good life, but I prefer a low profile’.
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