Henry, KYEREMEH

The 2018 budget statement and economic policy of Government envision an overall deficit budget of Gh¢10,971.4 million representing 4.5 percent of GDP. Projected total revenue based on the economic outlook for 2018 show that about GH¢51,039.1 million will to be mobilised in the form of domestic revenue and grants. This represents 21.1 percent of GDP. In the same period, the government plans to spend GH¢62,010.3 million representing 25.7 percent of GDP. Meaning that government intends to spend more than its projected income by an amount of Gh¢10,971.4 million. The financing gap will be filled with borrowings from domestic and foreign sources. Simply put, we plan to spend what we do not have. Such has been the sad story of the Republic’s public financial management for a long time. The FY2018 deficit, however, is an improvement on 2017 figures. In 2017, the total projected outlook deficit is GH¢12,887.2 (6.3 percent of GDP). In percentage change, the 2018 deficit is 14.9 percent less th...

In recent times, teething challenges in Ghana’s free secondary education policy including congestion in classrooms, inadequate dormitories, and delays in disbursement of feeding grants have engaged the attention of many Ghanaians. Some individuals in the opposition, NDC have even postulated about the possible extermination of the programme within the next five years. The frank discussion is, however, particularly interesting to me because as we say “a government is like a waiter in a noisy restaurant, you must necessarily speak up before you can catch her attention”. And so, discussion on any government policy is a good one and potentially could force a change to various parts of the policy. It becomes uninteresting when we reduce everything to comic as Hassan Ayariga of the APC as usual took the discussion to the playhouse and exorcised the somewhat lively debate. Until the timely intervention by Dr Raymond Atuguba, I had switched my faculty antenna from the discussion. Dr Atuguba a...

In her epistle dated 19th May 2016, titled “Letter from Africa: Is corruption just stealing? (http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-36316702)”, and published by the BBC, the Ghanaian writer and opposition politician- her description then- Hon. Elizabeth Ohene took on the herculean task of discussing graft, a subject not many politicians would at their own will dare discuss. I have read that piece many times, reflecting the intent and also thinking if indeed, Hon. Ohene’s bravery at that piece epitomised her rectitude when she held public office during the former President Kuffour’s era? The answer does not come easy. But, since she left office, I have not heard of a single rumour of graft against her, and that might explain her share size of audacity in discussing this topic many of her kind shy away from. In the epistle, she made one outstanding point about graft, and I quote “Corruption simply does not carry the same odium as stealing or thievery. The word [corruption] has been saniti...