Ofoase-Ayirebi lawmaker Kojo Oppong Nkrumah told Parliament on Tuesday that Ghana’s completion of its International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme means little while youth unemployment and living costs keep rising.
The Ranking Member on the Economy and Development Committee argued that macroeconomic stability has not reached ordinary households, pointing to labour data he said shows the jobs crisis deepening rather than easing.
Citing the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), he said youth unemployment in Greater Accra has reached 49.3 percent, leaving nearly one in two young people without work. Seven of every ten unemployed Ghanaians, he added, are under the age of 35.
He said GSS figures put unemployment among people aged 15 to 24 at 32.5 percent in the third quarter of 2025, up from 32 percent in December 2024. That increase, though small, shows growth has not produced opportunities for the young, he argued.
“If young people cannot find jobs, then the benefits of stability remain largely theoretical,” he said.
The former Information Minister also disputed the government’s description of the moment as an exit from the IMF. Ghana has completed one arrangement, the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) approved in 2023, but is now pursuing a fresh Policy Coordination Instrument (PCI) and remains a member of the Fund. He urged ministers to describe the continuing relationship honestly.
On prices, he said many families still struggle despite slower inflation. He pointed to rising rents, electricity bills and other service charges that headline inflation figures rarely capture, arguing that citizens judge the economy by what they pay each day.
He further questioned claims of tax relief, noting that Parliament approved several new revenue measures even as the administration scrapped some taxes. Government has still missed its revenue targets and fallen short on some spending commitments, he said, which raises doubts about the strategy.
His contribution followed a statement by the Finance Minister on Ghana’s economic outlook after the programme. It sharpened a wider debate over whether the recovery is reaching households that still face joblessness and high costs, or whether the gains exist mainly in official reports.
