On Monday, the 14th of July 2014,
the faltering Ghanaian economy
was hit with another body blow in
the form of yet one more hike in
fuel prices, with the price of petrol
going up by 23%. Concerned
Ghanaians For Responsible
Governance (CGRG) raised the issue
of petroleum prices in our 1st July,
2014 petition presented to His
Excellency President John Dramani
Mahama. Ostensibly a technical
decision made by the independent
regulator, the National Petroleum
Authority, it is clear that this
damaging price hike has been
occasioned by the mismanagement
of both the monetary and fiscal
environments, principally by the
Mahama Administration. Ghana’s
deteriorating fiscal situation has
had a direct impact on the cedi,
now considered one of the worst
performing currencies in the world.
By failing to practice sound fiscal
policy, the government has given
us a cedi exchange rate now
considered among the worst in the
world.
CGRG has concluded that the
government’s current approach to
dealing with this crisis, an
unprecedented levying of taxes,
raising of fees, and other forms of
revenue increases will only worsen
the economic outlook in the short
and medium term for the Ghanaian
economy, meaning that the Ghana
Cedi will continue on its downward
slide, perhaps declining to four
Ghana Cedis to the US dollar before
the end of this year. For an
economy that will be import
dependent for the foreseeable
future, the government’s lack of
prudence will spell for the average
Ghanaian (Daavi Ghana and Idrissu
Ghana) increases in food and
transportation prices, all part of the
lessening of our purchasing power.
For transparency, Government
should publish a breakdown of all
levies paid per litre of fuel.
CGRG believes that it is time for
President Mahama to face the
reality that his government’s
actions have dramatically worsened
the outlook for Ghana and all
Ghanaians, and to quickly come up
with a plan that assures Ghanaians
that he understands the gravity of
the situation. A presidential
address, not pronouncements by a
staffer, is what Ghana needs to
start repairing this damage. Not
another Senchi, nor a cosmetic
reshuffle. CGRG is patiently
counting down the days when the
President shall officially respond to
the Petition and the issues we
raised therein.
This Friday, July 18th 2014, we will
be clad in red, preferably in made
in Ghana (Friday wear), but it is
important to signal your
commitment to change by wearing
whatever item of red you have. We
particularly encourage the wearing
of visible red accessories - scarf,
shoes, bags, wristbands, and the
like. Our hardworking traders could
consider hanging a red item in a
prominent place in their shops. All
commercial vehicle operators are
encouraged to hang an item in red
visibly on their vehicles.
The protest theme for this Friday is
the Increased Cost of Living
(specifically the increase in the
prices of fuel, transportation, food,
water, electricity). Let us make our
voices heard loudly and peacefully
this #RedFriday. All Ghanaians are
encouraged to take photographs of
themselves in their red attire or
accessory and post them on social
media (Facebook and Twitter etc),
especially on the CONCERNED
GHANAIANS FOR RESPONSIBLE
GOVERNANCE or OCCUPYGHANA
Facebook pages along with their
concerns and what you want
government to do.
The #RedFriday events are non-
partisan and are meant to involve
Ghanaian citizens everywhere. All
posts/reposts and/or tweets/
retweets should bear the following:
#RedFriday, # OccupyGhana ,
# OccupyFlagstaffHouse , Our Ghana must work and we must all make sure we play a role to make it work!
SIGNED
George Kojo Anti
Executive Secretary
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