Kofi navigates the vibrant market, selectively choosing fresh groceries for the week, stretching his modest salary.“Nothing ever comes to one that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.” – Booker T. Washington
ACCRA– In the worn creases of his shirt and the tired blink of his eyes, Kofi tells a silent story. He’s the face of Ghana’s working majority—an overburdened, underpaid civil servant navigating the maze of a fragile economy with nothing but grit, resilience, and the faint hope that something—just something—might finally change.
Kofi works in a cramped, fan-challenged government office in Accra. His salary, GHS 2,800 after taxes, has become a numeric insult in a market where tomatoes now rival the price of gold, and transport fares drain pockets before mid-month. At Makola Market, a kilogram of rice now trades at GHS 28—a 34% increase over the past 18 months, according to the Ghana Statistical Service (2023). Rent in Kasoa, Madina, and Teshie averages GHS 1,500 a month. And the cedi? It continues its downward spiral, losing nearly 30% of its value against the U.S. dollar since 2022.
The Price of Survival
By the 15th of each month, Kofi’s bank account sounds like a hollow drum. His landlord knocks, the market groans, and tro-tro drivers smirk. Inflation has risen like the sea at high tide—averaging 20% year-on-year. Meanwhile, the economy, once touted as “resilient,” now feels like a leaking canoe fighting the pull of global shocks and internal mismanagement.
Yet, this isn’t just Kofi’s story. It’s the story of millions—nurses, teachers, police officers, sanitation workers—whose monthly earnings have become abstract math problems, incapable of solving the equation of daily life.
The Balance Sheet of Blame and Hope
Market forces alone do not bear the blame. Poor fiscal discipline, unsustainable debt levels, and the looting of public funds by a previous administration cast long shadows. Billions in loans yielded no major transformation—only ghost hospitals, asphalt that washed away with the rain, and overpriced contracts awarded to party cronies.
But now, in 2025, a glimmer beckons. The National Democratic Congress (NDC), under a new reform-driven leadership, promises a comprehensive Reset. The plan is bold: implement a 24-Hour Economy, expand the tax net without hurting the poor, reform procurement laws, and—most significantly—peg public sector salary increments to inflation and cost-of-living indices.
“This is not just about paying people more,” said Dr. Aba Mensimah, an economist at the University of Ghana. “It’s about restoring dignity to labour, fuelling productivity, and stimulating domestic demand in a way that lifts the economy from the inside out.”
Planned Fiscal Prospects versus Market Realities
Despite the optimism, the road ahead is winding. Commodity prices continue to be influenced by global trends—fuel imports, freight charges, and climate-driven agricultural disruptions. Government subsidies remain thin, and Ghana’s current debt-to-GDP ratio sits at 84%, limiting fiscal maneuverability.
Still, the NDC blueprint banks on innovation. By instituting round-the-clock industrial shifts, Ghana could double output in agro-processing, textiles, and light manufacturing—creating jobs while reducing import dependency. If executed with discipline and transparency, the plan could generate up to GHS 12 billion annually in new revenue streams, enough to support meaningful wage adjustments, social interventions, and infrastructure upgrades.
A Call to Workers and Healers
Amid the economic turbulence, health workers remain frontline heroes. But frustrations over poor conditions must not erode compassion. “We know the system is broken,” said Akosua Frempong, a nurse at Korle Bu. “But we must never let the patients suffer because the leaders failed.”
Kofi agrees. “All I want is fairness. Pay me enough to live, not just survive.”
A Constitution Past Its Prime
The calls for economic reform also echo in legal corridors. Ghana’s 1992 Constitution, noble in spirit but aged in relevance, now feels like a square peg in a digital age. Judicial reform, anti-corruption enforcement, and a citizen-centered governance framework must be part of the Reset—because an economy cannot thrive under a broken legal order.
The New Chapter
In this national tale of struggle and grit, the chapter is turning. The Reset is not just about policies—it is about people. It is about Kofi waking up with hope, not dread. It is about a cedi that works as hard as he does. It is about rain that doesn’t bring floods and leaders whose words match their actions.
Let the Reset begin—not in promises, but in payrolls, policies, and planning. Let it be bold, let it be inclusive, and let it be Ghanaian.
“A nation doesn’t rise because of slogans. It rises when Kofi’s paycheck becomes a passport to dignity.”
|Bismarck Kwesi Davis|
COO – Diamond Institute GH || LIT- DIAMOND VENTURES || Zealots Ghana International
Facebook: BismarckDavis|| Twitter: BismarckDavis|| Instagram: BismarckDavis
M/W: 0244677888 ||
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