Dr. Jacob Anankware, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), has accused former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia of hypocrisy over his criticism of the cost of living under the current government.
He argued that Dr. Bawumia, who led the Economic Management Team from 2017 to 2025, cannot distance himself from the economic difficulties Ghanaians experienced during the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.
According to Dr. Anankware, Ghanaians were told to focus on economic indicators and digitalisation when they complained about conditions in their pockets under the previous government.
He cited the 54.1% inflation rate recorded in 2022 and the depreciation of the cedi during Dr. Bawumia’s tenure to challenge his current criticism of the economy.
“Bawumia is arguing against himself. Really? Yes. That president, he was merely arguing against himself and that is his biggest vulnerability,” he said.
Dr. Anankware argued that the current economic difficulties were partly a consequence of the previous administration’s policies, including the domestic debt exchange programme and the conditions attached to Ghana’s International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme.
He said the effects of those policies continued to affect households, making it unfair for the former Vice President to criticise the current administration without accounting for his own record.
The EPA official also challenged Dr. Bawumia’s argument that improvements in economic statistics had not translated into relief for ordinary Ghanaians.
He maintained that the decline in inflation to about 5% represented an improvement, although it did not necessarily mean prices would immediately fall.
“Low inflation does not necessarily mean that prices should fall. He should know better,” Dr. Anankware said.
He explained that lower inflation meant prices were rising at a slower rate than during the period of exceptionally high inflation under the previous administration.
Dr. Anankware further pointed to the relative stability of the cedi, arguing that it had helped traders maintain more predictable prices for goods.
He recounted an encounter with a trader in Kumasi who, he said, told him that the price of pepper had fallen from Ghc70 to Ghc50.
According to him, such experiences showed that some consumers were beginning to feel the effects of the improving economic conditions.
He challenged Dr. Bawumia to explain how he would reduce utility bills and other household expenses without reversing the gains made in lowering inflation.
“If he ever gets the nod, not God forbid, and inflation goes back to 54%, and people tell him the pocket is okay, will he say that he has managed the economy?” he asked.
Dr. Anankware concluded that Dr. Bawumia’s criticism of the current cost of living was inconsistent with the economic explanations he offered while serving as Vice President.
