Fiifi Boafo, a member of the New Patriotic Party Communications team has raised serious concerns over Ghana’s ballooning public sector wage bill, accusing the government of worsening the situation through unnecessary recruitment.
Speaking to Moro Awudu on Metro Tv’s Good Morning Ghana, Boafo referred to a statement made in Parliament by Kojo Oppong Nkrumah warning the government over key issues regarding the economy but the NDC government refused to listen to the advise.
He noted that while the wage bill has long been a challenge, the government’s decision to employ thousands of additional workers, including in the immigration service, has compounded the problem. Many of these recruits reportedly go idle yet still receive full salaries.
“The Finance Minister claims he needed to borrow ₵17 billion to pay salaries. But this could have been anticipated. Government is knowingly hiring more people to sit idle, then borrowing to pay them. This is irresponsible,” Fiifi Boafo said.
He further argues that political considerations, not economic planning, are driving recruitment, exacerbating fiscal pressure instead of solving it.
“Employing 10,000 instead of the budgeted 5,000 does not create productivity, it creates problems,” the Boafo warned.
Fiifi Boafo also criticized the government for failing to link wage growth with measurable productivity, warning that continued mismanagement could threaten economic stability.
Source: metrotvonline.com
