A palpable discrimination and massive deception by the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) against Ghana’s public sector workers has been badly exposed by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ofoase-Ayirebi, Mr. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah.
A governing party that claims to have social democratic credentials and believes in egalitarian rule or the principle equality for all people, is rather discriminating against hard working Ghanaian workers.
Mr. Oppong Nkrumah has revealed that while the Mahama government has given a pay rise of paltry 10% to public sector workers for 2025, it has increased the salaries of staff of Office of Government Machinery (OGM) including presidential staffers to over 720%.
He explained that while the previous Akufo-Addo government spent GH¢327 million on salaries for staff of OGM in 2024, the current Mahama administration has increased same to GH¢2.7 billion in 2025, increasing the amount to over the 720 percent.
Mr. Oppong Nkrumah who is also a former Minister for Information as well as Works and Housing made the disclosure while taking his turn on the 2025 budget debate in Parliament yesterday.
The former Minister delivered a scathing critique of the 2025 budget during the parliamentary debate on the government’s economic policy.
He raised concerns about the government’s allocation of resources, its handling of key economic issues, and the potential impact of new taxes on the cost of living for Ghanaians.
Mr. Oppong Nkrumah questioned government’s allocation of funds, particularly the disproportionate compensation for the Office of Government Machinery compared to economic and infrastructure ministries.
“For the Office of Government Machinery, you have allocated GH¢2.7 billion for compensation. Meanwhile, seven economic sector ministries, responsible for generating growth and jobs, have been given a paltry GH¢2.2 billion. This shows where your priorities lie,” he bemoaned.
Mr. Oppong Nkrumah also pointed out the disparity in allocations for infrastructure, noting that only GH¢700 million had been allocated for compensation in the infrastructure sector.
“Your budget is showing your priorities, and they are not aligned with the needs of the people,” Mr. Oppong Nkrumah further decried.
Rising cost of living
The former Information Minister also expressed concern about the government’s failure to address the rising cost of living.
He pointed out that key promises made during this year’s State of the Nation Address, such as using the special petroleum levy to cushion fuel prices, had been abandoned.
“Between the State of the Nation Address and the delivery of the economic policy, the government have conveniently forgotten about the people’s suffering,” the MP for Ofoase-Ayirebi reiterated.
He slammed the Mahama administration’s decision to increase the cost of gas used for electricity production and introduce quarterly adjustments in utility tariffs.
“What this means is that utility tariffs will go up every three months. Is this the reset you promised the people of Ghana?” he asked.
Food inflation
Mr. Kojo Nkrumah also took issue with the government’s approach to tackling food inflation and transportation challenges.
While acknowledging the rollout of a programme similar to the previous administration’s Planting for Food and Jobs initiative, he argued that it failed to address critical issues such as porous borders, transportation challenges, and market pricing regimes.
The government’s programme, he said, does not address the root causes of food inflation.
New taxes
The Ofoase Ayirebi MP warned that the introduction of new taxes, such as the Growth and Sustainability Levy, would further exacerbate the cost of living.
He stated that the levy will affect banks, insurance companies, telecom companies, and others adding, “These costs will be passed on to the average Ghanaian, and the cost of living will go up.”
Projected economic growth
Mr. Oppong Nkrumah questioned the government’s projected economic growth rate of 4.4%, comparing it unfavourably to the 5.7% growth achieved in the previous year.
According to him, by the model left by the NPP, Ghana should be doing nothing less than 8% growth this year and argued that the NDC’s 4.4% compares poorly.
Mr. Oppong Nkrumah urged the government to revisit the budget and align its allocations with its stated priorities and find coherence between its economic policy and its manifesto.
“Put money behind the big things that will create growth and expansion of the economy,” he said.
