By Elsie Appiah-Osei
Accra, Aug. 31, GNA – Mr Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, Minority Leader in Parliament, has called on the Government to undertake major reforms in the energy and gold sectors rather than impose additional costs on Ghanaians.
Speaking to a section of the media in Accra on Monday during a courtesy call by the Asafo Cultural Troupe, he said the challenges confronting the power sector required the Government to address revenue leakages at the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) instead of increasing tariffs.
“You can’t pay so much for power production, and you cannot get revenue out of what you pay. Many people don’t pay for electricity they consume. Many factories, many homes—there are a lot of illegal connections. That is one area that they have an opportunity in. Fix it,” he said.
Mr Afenyo-Markin argued that the recent 29 per cent tariff increase and the introduction of a GH¢1 levy represented a pursuit of “low-hanging fruits” rather than investments in technology and systems to reduce inefficiencies and waste.
Touching on the gold sector, he referred to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) audit of the Domestic Gold Purchase Programme and GoldBod operations, alleging that the State had incurred losses amounting to GH¢21 billion.
“The IMF that audited the implementation is saying the losses go beyond the economic cost argument. Government cannot attribute the losses to economic cost. Yes, you have chalked up some successes; it has contributed to the stability of the cedi. But you have brought success at an unimaginable cost,” he stated.
The Minority Leader, who is also the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Effutu, said the Minority Caucus would push for the establishment of an Ad Hoc Committee when Parliament resumes to investigate the matter.
He noted that the Chief Executive Officer of GoldBod had indicated his willingness to appear before such a committee.
On jobs and the economy, Mr Afenyo-Markin said the Government was placing excessive pressure on state institutions through what he described as bureaucratic job creation.
“We cannot continue to use bureaucracy and state institutions to create jobs. The economy will crash. You go to the Bank of Ghana, Ghana Gas, COCOBOD, ECG, Ghana Water—all state institutions are choked. What we need is a policy to drive the private sector,” he said.
He urged the Government to create an enabling business environment and implement digital policies aimed at empowering young people to become entrepreneurs in the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Mr Afenyo-Markin also criticised the proposed 24-hour economy policy, describing it as overly bureaucratic and lacking the required supporting structures for effective implementation.
He questioned the execution of the Nkoko Nkitinkiti poultry initiative, alleging that some beneficiaries were consuming the birds rather than raising and selling them to generate returns, thereby turning investment into consumption.
The Minority Leader further accused the Government of intimidating NPP Members of Parliament through arrests and threats of investigations to silence opposition voices.
He stressed that his concerns were not directed at individuals but were focused on policy shortcomings that needed urgent attention to sustain the recent stability of the cedi.
GNA
Edited by Lydia Kukua Asamoah
Reporter: Elsie Appiah-OseiÂ
[email protected]Â