These problems didn’t start today, but we must face them now – Gatsi on economic woes

A member of the National Economic Dialogue (NED) Committee, Professor John Gatsi, has emphasized that the recently held dialogue showcased a strong sense of urgency and commitment to tackling Ghana’s persistent economic challenges.

Speaking on Newsfile on JoyNews, Prof. Gatsi highlighted that while many of the country’s economic issues are not new, the dialogue provided an opportunity to face them with renewed determination.

“If we are aware of the problems, the National Economic Dialogue gives more urgency to resolve them.

“These problems didn’t start today; they have been with us. Energy challenges have been persistent, and the issues in the cocoa sector are not just from the past two years.

“But now, we are demonstrating the willingness to face them head-on,” he stated.

Ghana’s economy has faced long-standing hurdles, including energy sector difficulties, debt sustainability concerns, and volatility in the cocoa industry.

While these issues have existed for years, Prof. Gatsi believes the dialogue signals a shift towards collective action rather than mere acknowledgement of the problems.

To ensure practical outcomes from the discussions, he revealed that the government has committed to a 120-day timeline to subject the country’s economic challenges to a consensus-building process.

“The government has pledged that within 120 days, it will subject the challenges of the economy to a consensus-building process so that all of us can think alike,” he said.