NPP Communications Member, Yaw Opoku Mensah, has slammed the government over claims linking Ghana’s economy to the ongoing war in the Gulf between the United States and Israel on one side, and Iran on the other.
“The war has no bearing on us as a nation. Ghana is not at war, and no global crisis has ever economically derailed us,” Mensah said.
Yaw Opoku Mensah, NPP Communications Team Member
“We do not expect President John Dramani Mahama and his government to use a distant conflict as an excuse for domestic incompetence or to justify higher fuel prices and economic difficulties.
Mensah fiercely denounced what he described as a calculated psychological campaign being waged by government-aligned WhatsApp operatives, reportedly led by Duncan Amoah, to condition Ghanaians for a manufactured economic crisis.
He challenged the logic head-on: if the global devastation of COVID-19 which resulted in complete lockdowns, sea and land, and air borders closed we were told they could not be the reason for our economic woes then, why should a distant conflict thousands of miles away suddenly justify fearmongering at home? He pointed out that the Russia–Ukraine war which had a tangible impact, with the Foreign Affairs Minister confirming the tragic loss of about 50 Ghanaian lives, yet even that with all the narration of world economic challenges which Ghana wasn’t an exception we were told could not be part of our economic challenges then why worry about this too?
So why, he asked, should citizens be primed for hardship over a US–Israel–Iran tension that has not claimed a single Ghanaian life?
To Mensah, the answer is clear: this is not preparedness, it is propaganda, a deliberate attempt to manufacture anxiety where none is warranted to cover up incompetence.
He further noted that while the Strait of Hormuz through which about 20% of the world’s oil supply passes daily is critical globally, its disruptions do not immediately impact Ghana.
Analysts have speculated that oil prices could surge to $100 per barrel, or even $150 $200 in extreme scenarios. Mensah reminded citizens that similar situations occurred during the presidency of Nana Akufo-Addo, when global oil prices spiked, yet Ghanaians were largely insulated from catastrophic effects.
“These are purely hypothetical numbers that may only shuffle grocery bills, transport fares, electricity costs, and the general mood of citizens,” he said, dripping with sarcasm.
“The conflict is far away across oceans, practically in another universe, Mr. President.
For Ghanaians, petrol stations remain politely untouched by distant missiles which should not affect our economic development” he added.
Mensah concluded by urging the government to maintain reduced fuel prices and utilities, warning: “Stop using Middle East wars as a justification for anything else. The war does not affect us.”
Story By Michael Ofosu-Afriyie, Kumasi.
