Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has accused the Mahama administration of pursuing policies that are undermining Ghana’s economy, arguing that rising electricity tariffs, challenges facing cocoa farmers and the growing dependence on imports point to what he described as a policy misalignment.
According to him, the government’s economic strategy is failing to deliver meaningful relief to ordinary Ghanaians and local producers.
Speaking to journalists during the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Democracy Under Threat protest in Accra on Thursday, Afenyo-Markin maintained that the policy misalignment concerns raised by the opposition had been reinforced by recent observations from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Ghana’s economic direction.
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“We warned that relying heavily on gold exports to keep the economy and the cedi stable is not the solution. Today, the IMF has made similar observations,” he said.
Explaining what he described as policy misalignment, Afenyo-Markin argued that Ghana’s agriculture sector is becoming less competitive because imported food products are cheaper than locally produced commodities.
According to him, rice and maize farmers, especially those in northern Ghana, are struggling to find buyers because consumers increasingly prefer imported products.
“If imported rice and maize are cheaper than locally produced food, then there is clearly a policy misalignment. Our farmers are losing income because the market is favouring imports,” he stated.
The Minority Leader urged the government to review its agricultural and trade policies to improve the competitiveness of locally produced food.
Afenyo-Markin also criticised the government over electricity tariffs, claiming they had increased instead of falling as promised.
He alleged that cocoa farmers have not received the producer prices they had expected, arguing that the sector required stronger government support to improve farmers’ livelihoods.
According to the Minority Leader, the government should focus on correcting economic challenges rather than targeting political opponents.
“A government facing such policy misalignment must reflect, review its policies and re-strategise for the benefit of the country,” he said.
Defending the NPP Democracy Under Threat protest, Afenyo-Markin said the demonstration is organised to exercise the constitutional right to peaceful assembly and to draw attention to issues affecting governance and the economy.
He commended demonstrators for conducting themselves peacefully and praised the Ghana Police Service for maintaining security throughout the protest.
“We are here to exercise our civic responsibility as provided for in the Constitution. We are not here to destroy property or engage in violence. We are responsible citizens,” he said.
Afenyo-Markin urged the Mahama administration to reconsider its economic policies, insisting that addressing agriculture, trade and energy challenges would better support local businesses and improve livelihoods.
The Afenyo-Markin policy misalignment argument formed a central theme of his remarks during the NPP Democracy Under Threat protest, where he called on the government to adopt policies that strengthen local production, protect farmers and promote sustainable economic growth.