Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has challenged the government to move beyond rhetoric and deliver concrete results for citizens following.
Ghanaians, he said, are more interested in improved living conditions than repeated policy announcements.
The Minority leader was speaking to journalists shortly after President John Dramani Mahama had delivered the 2026 State of the Nation Address (SONA) to Parliament.
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“Ghanaians need results, not promises. We have heard many commitments over the years, but what matters now is implementation and impact,” he said.
Hon. Afenyo-Markin noted that despite government claims of economic recovery and debt reduction, many households continue to struggle with high prices and limited job opportunities.
According to him, issues such as rising food costs, utility tariffs, and youth unemployment remain major challenges.
People, he said, are finding it difficult to make ends meet while businesses are reeling under the pressure of stifling economy. Young graduates are still searching for jobs. These realities cannot be ignored,” Afenyo-Markin stated.
He argued that economic indicators must reflect in the daily lives of ordinary citizens.
The Minority Leader expressed concern over the state of Ghana’s cocoa sector, describing it as one of the most neglected areas in recent years.
He accused the government of failing to address the real challenges facing cocoa farmers in addition to cutting down FOB price by over a thousand Cedis.
According to him cocoa remains the backbone of Ghana’s agricultural economy, yet many farmers continue to live in poverty despite their contribution to national development.
He questioned whether reforms announced in the SONA would translate into better prices and improved welfare for producers, stressing that policy statements must be backed by practical support systems.
On the issue of illegal mining (galamsey) Afenyo-Markin described the situation as a national emergency that threatens both agriculture and environmental sustainability.
He lamented that cocoa farms, forest reserves, and water bodies have been destroyed by illegal miners, with little evidence of sustained government action to stop the practice.
He accused the administration of promoting galamsey, arguing that Goldbod, since its establishment, had not issued any regulation that stops its aggregators from purchasing from galamsey gold.
“He says they are fighting galamsey and yet they are doing brisk gold business with illegal miners,” he alleged.
Afenyo-Markin demand greater transparency and commitment from the President to halt the galamsey menace.