President John Dramani Mahama has strongly criticized the previous NPP administration, stating that they handled the economy in a “criminal” manner.
He expressed shock at the recklessness of the previous government, saying “Ghana is a crime scene” due to their economic mismanagement.
Speaking to organized labor in Accra on Thursday, February 20, President Mahama emphasized the need for transparency and accountability. He assured the labor unions that his government is committed to making sacrifices and cutting unnecessary expenditures.
“Comrades, we know we are your natural allies, we have worked together for many years,” President Mahama said. “One thing that is a cardinal principle for us is to tell the truth at all times, we all knew that the economy was in crisis but some of the things I am discovering myself, have been a criminal handling of our economy, Ghana is a crime scene because how a government can be so reckless I can’t understand it.”
President Mahama acknowledged the challenges facing the country, saying “We are faced with a reality, our options are very few, we can behave like the ostriches and hide our heads in the sand and let the economy crash but then what effect will it have on Ghanaian households and everybody?”
He assured the labor unions that his government is committed to making sacrifices, saying “So I have told the Finance Minister to cut expenditure as much as he likes, even we ourselves in government, cut as much of our budget as you like because we all must make those sacrifices.”
President Mahama also acknowledged the distrust that has arisen towards the political class, saying “A certain distrust for the political class has arisen because it is like when everybody else is tightening their belt, the political class is loosening itself.”
He assured the labor unions that his government is committed to transparency and accountability, saying “I want to assure you that we are all going to tighten our belts. and there will be no wasteful expenditure.”
To address the economic challenges, President Mahama’s government has approved a 10% salary increase for public sector workers, effective January 1. Additionally, the national daily minimum wage will increase by 10% to 19.97 Cedis, starting March 1, 2025, as announced by the Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo.
“There has been an increase in the national daily minimum wage by 10 per cent over the 2024 National Daily Minimum Wage which translates into a new national daily minimum wage of 19.97 Cedis,” Mr. Pelpuo said.
“The effective date for the implementation of the 2025 minimum wage shall be the first of March 2025, all establishments, institutions or organisations whose daily minimum wages are below the new wage should adjust accordingly,” he added.