There is something unsettling about the government’s latest budget. You read it, and you’re struck by how beautifully the story is written, and how far it stands from the daily struggles of Ghanaians. The Mahama-led administration wants the country to believe that the worst is behind us. But when you peel back the numbers, a different truth appears: Ghana is being sold a polished illusion.
Debt “Reduction” Built on Default
Government communicators repeat the line that Ghana’s debt has “fallen dramatically.” What they won’t say is that this happened because we stopped paying creditors, forced haircuts on domestic investors, and leaned heavily on IMF restructuring.
That is not fiscal discipline.
It is simply postponing the pain.
Inflation is Down, But Prices Are Not
Single-digit inflation sounds impressive. But it hides a basic fact: the price of food, transport, rent, and medicine has not returned to pre-crisis levels.
Ghanaians don’t feel inflation.
They feel prices, and prices are still painfully high.
A Cedi Held Up By Crutches
The cedi’s recent appreciation is being marketed as a sign of strength. But the currency is rising because imports have collapsed, debt payments are frozen, and IMF cash is flowing. A currency supported by emergency life-support is not a strong currency.
Old Promises, New Packaging
From the “24-Hour Economy” to the repackaged job schemes, the budget replays ideas we heard between 2012 and 2016, ideas that failed to deliver then and show no clear structure now.
Changing the label doesn’t change the content.
Infrastructure Without Prudence
The government’s “Big Push” sounds exciting, but we’ve walked this path before. Last time, it ballooned Ghana’s debt without producing the productivity boost we were promised. Without strict value-for-money controls, this new round could repeat old mistakes, at a time Ghana cannot afford another reckless cycle.
Energy: Fixing Problems They Created
The government now celebrates “stability” in the energy sector. But the debts we are paying today come from overpriced take-or-pay contracts they signed a decade ago. You cannot break a system and later claim heroism for patching it.
The Missing Piece: The People
The budget is loud about macro stability but silent on cost of living.
That silence is telling.
If the economy is truly recovering, why are families still gasping?
Why are young people still leaving?
Why do small businesses still struggle to reopen after years of shock?
Ghana Needs Honesty, Not Elegance
This budget is elegant. It is well-written. It is politically strategic.
But it is not honest.
Ghana needs leadership that tells the truth, not leadership that edits it.
And until the government stops massaging numbers and starts confronting reality, this “recovery” will remain what it is today: a story on paper, not progress in people’s lives
