The Deputy Ranking Member on Parliament’s Finance Committee, Dr Gideon Boako, has questioned whether Ghana’s reported economic recovery is translating into improved living conditions, insisting that the country’s social realities tell a different story from the government’s macroeconomic achievements.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, July 25, following Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson’s presentation of the 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review, the Tano North MP said government has focused heavily on positive economic indicators while many households continue to face significant hardship.
According to Dr Boako, improvements in inflation, fiscal balances and other macroeconomic indicators should not be mistaken for broad-based improvements in the welfare of Ghanaians.
“Today in Ghana, economic indicators are green but social indicators are red,” he stated.
He argued that rising youth unemployment, pressure on household incomes, the high cost of living and persistent economic hardship suggest that the benefits of the reported recovery have yet to reach many citizens.
He said economic success should be measured not only by what appears in budget documents but also by the lived experiences of ordinary people.
“Macroeconomic stability is important, but it is only a means to an end.
The real objective is to improve the lives of Ghanaians. If families are still struggling to make ends meet and young people remain without jobs, then we must ask whether the recovery is truly inclusive,” Dr Boako said.
He called on the government to complement fiscal consolidation with policies that accelerate job creation, boost private sector investment and improve social outcomes, arguing that sustainable economic progress must be reflected in both economic and human development indicators.
