The Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo-led New Patriotic Party government initiated several unfriendly policies this year that triggered the wrath of many Ghanaians due to the severe consequences some of them impose on the already suffering citizenry.
Despite concerns, demonstrations and calls on the government to rescind its decision to implement the said policies, it went ahead with them, calling the bluff of Ghanaians.
SIM re-registration:
Among some of the many such controversial policies is the ongoing SIM re-registration exercise that is being carried out by the National Communications Authority under the auspices of the Communication and Digitalisation Ministry.
Before the start of the re-registration, Ghanaians bought SIM cards and registered them at the telecommunication companies’ agents’ points of sale, using Voter ID cards.
But the government said it wants the Ghana card to be the sole national ID card recognized by the state in its quest to digitalise the economy.
Many Ghanaians and analysts raised issues with the safety of their personal data, the laborious nature of the re-registration process and the fact that people would have to sacrifice their various works to get it done, the capital intensiveness of the exercise, the fact that the National Identification Authority had still not finished registering the population and issued them with their Ghana cards, among many other concerns.
Despite all the concerns, the sector minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful remained adamant, and the process is still ongoing, with many people’s phone numbers being blocked for failure to re-register their SIM cards.
Abolishment of road tolls:
Also, early this year, Ghanaians woke up early morning to an abrupt announcement by the Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Atta that road tolls had been abolished across the country with immediate effect. The minister went on further to urge drivers not to pay road tolls at the various toll booths.
This controversial decision was taken at the time the government was hoping it would raise a lot of money from the then yet-to-be-passed e-levy bill into law.
Many people criticized the decision, with the speaker of parliament, Alban Bagbin and members of parliament calling on the minister to seek their approval of the decision, but he and the government called their bluff.
Now, the same government is seeking to resume the collection of tolls after the e-levy has failed to yield the expected result.
National Cathedral:
Another policy by the government that sparked controversy which is still raging has to do with the building of a national cathedral.
The project, according to the government, would cost $100 million, but the figures kept changing and a whopping GHC339,003,064.86 has already been sunk into its construction when there is barely anything on the site commensurate with the amount.
The building of the national cathedral split heads across the country, with the majority of Ghanaians arguing that it is a misplaced priority because the taxpayers who are paying for it need better healthcare systems, better educational facilities, basic necessities such as potable drinking water and good road, jobs and so on, so the timing of the said project was not right. However, the government and some religious leaders disagree.
Implementation of E-levy:
Also triggering intense controversy was the promulgation and implementation of the e-levy this year although the law was passed last year.
Ghanaians, tax analysts, Civil Society Organisations, telecommunication companies, the Mobile Money Vendors association, and other stakeholders kicked against it, arguing it was regressive and would destroy the gains made over the years to digitalise the country’s economy.
However, like in other cases, the government was adamant and went ahead to implement it, contributing to the severe hardship that prevails in the country.
Planting For Food and Jobs Market:
At the time the cost of foodstuff and other commodities skyrocketed and Ghanaians were crying about the high cost of living, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto said that the high cost of living was orchestrated by greedy and selfish traders who just wanted to take advantage of the economic crisis to make excessive profits.
To prove critics who disagreed with him wrong, his ministry decided to set up a market at its premises to sell foodstuff at cheaper costs than what pertained in the various markets.
They subsequently extended it to the Agbogbloshie market to avoid the mad rush that was experienced at the ministry’s premises.
Some people argued that the move was unsustainable and that the very factors that are responsible for the high cost of the commodities should be tackled instead.
Well, it appears the critics have been vindicated now because the ministry has reportedly stopped operating the said markets. The foodstuff that was said to be the product of the government’s flagship Planting for Food and Jobs programme may have finished.
Debt Exchange Programme:
Another one is the government’s debt exchange programme that threatens people’s investments, pensions and other funds.
The government unilaterally announced to Ghanaians that it is not in a position to pay its domestic debts, so
the government is exchanging already sold bonds for new ones with a more flexible interest payment plan.
Under the policy, domestic bondholders will be asked to exchange their instruments for new ones.
Existing domestic bonds as of Thursday, December 1, will be exchanged for a set of four new bonds maturing in 2027, 2029, 2032 and 2037.
The move, according to the government was part of a broader debt restructuring programme aimed at convincing the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to grant Ghana a three billion bailout.
Stakeholders such as workers whose pension funds were going to be affected, banks, fund management and investment companies, and parliament, among others were not consulted before the government’s announcement, causing confusion, agitations, and threats of nationwide industrial actions in protest of the debt exchange programme.
Pulse
