A renowned Ghanaian businessman and Pan-Africanist has called on the President Nana Akufo Addo, Vice President, Ministers, Parliamentarians and Members of Council of State to sacrifice their End of Service Benefits or Ex-Gratia towards economic recovery and ensuring a new Ghana for Africa to emulate.
The Ghanaian populace have made a lot sacrifices during these difficult times, so it was time for Members of the current Government to forgo their Ex-Gratia or End of service benefits, constituting a large percentage of Government revenue, channeled into solving economic issues confronting the nation when their terms of office expires in December this year.
The statement issued by Stanley Felten, Chief Executive Officer of African Art and Culture Development Company (also known as African Market), dealers/distributors of authentic African artifacts, located adjacent A & C Mall, East Legon, Accra recently noted that the President, Parliamentarians and Government appointees who were placed in office by virtue of the ballot box have not sacrificed anything for the country and only the Ghanaian citizens are left to bear the brunt of economic recovery.
The statement quoted the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) report in 2024 that indicates that nearly one out of every four, that means, 7.3 million Ghanaians are multi-dimensionally poor, facing deprivations in health, education, employment and living conditions, which the Government was required to take immediate action of stringent measures towards bringing the economy back on track.
The statement indicated the economic difficulties confronts the country in terms of food inflation standing at 21.1% in September, 2024 according to GSS, while cost of goods, services, fuel and utilities prices continues to rise, therefore forgoing end service benefits will be the most prudent measure to turn things around than going for International Monetary Intervention, where the burden become severe on Ghanaians down the ladder.
The stringent management of Akufo – Addo Government after the Covid 19 pandemic left most businesses suffered downturn, including African Market, with the some collapsing, while private workers were laid off and many remain unemployed, and pensioners suffered “haircuts” in their investments, the Stanley Felten explained, adding that “so there is no justification for those we voted for to run the affairs of our country to fail us and be compensated when leaving office.”
The statement disclosed that currently the country is faced with the Galamsey menace where illegal small scale mining keep destroying the environment, making people ill, adding water scarcity and damaging farmlands and crops, but the Government fails in its promise of stopping the menace, for Ghana cannot afford to wait any longer after the general elections, for it could be disastrous to find Ghana importing water.
In view of this, the statement described as inappropriate for public officials to collect ex-gratia, but the monies must rather be used to provide inputs such as fertilizer, seedlings and alternative livelihood programmes to help stop the menace and help Ghana restore the destroyed forestry cover.
Stanley Felten claimed that since the Galamsey is a national security and emergency matter, a referendum was needed to stop the menace and engage with all stakeholders to determine how to eliminate Galamsey for the interest of all.
The Government of Ghana instituted the Ex-Gratia to curb corruption among public officials and political officers, which according to Albin Sumana K. Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, has outlived its purpose and must be removed without any impediments, to help in Ghana’s economic recovery, the statement concluded.
