Alfred
@CallmeAlfredo
Data Scientist during the day, Policy Analyst at odd hours. Views are my own.
Over the last year, unemployment in Ghana has worsened. It's even worse compared to 2017 levels. Share of salary/wage employment in total employment has also declined. And I still cannot verify the 'jobs created' by govt from public data. My latest article alfredappiah.com/posts/2024-02-…
Was the Finance Minister’s story of using the tax refund account to close revenue gaps from scrapping certain taxes too good to be true or is it just too early to tell? Could this explain the sudden urgency to amend the ESLA Act to raise more revenue? To recap, the Minister…
We’ve lost a legend and a generational talent. RIP, DL. Ayie kɛseɛ paa n’aba sei 😢
Ghana presents a great case study on why technology alone cannot solve governance problems. On paper, many systems have been digitized, and by official accounts, these efforts have addressed long-standing systemic challenges. But the reality often tells a different story. Take,…
If you haven’t followed the good doctor’s story and advocacy, you might even think the government simply handed him and his cohort free money. Working and getting paid on time should be non-negotiable. We hope this is the last time we hear of such incidents in the public service.…
To everyone who liked, commented, reposted and showed support towards my salary issue. You guys made it possible! Your voices added pressure and visibility and I appreciate every single one of you. The giveaway go happen soon. 👊🏽 Thank you! Thank you!! Thank you!!!❤️
If the Ministry of Communications, Tech and Innovations had published a policy document on the One Million Coders program, perhaps the DM-designate could have referred to it for a good definition of coding. Policy transparency kakra, reduction in the risk of embarrassment at…
Never been a big fan of politicians picking the prices of a few items from one or two markets and using that as an indicator of price changes. When it comes to consumer price movements, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is the widely accepted measure. A 10-point drop in headline…
Does the ban on awarding government contracts in foreign currency apply to state-owned enterprises as well? That’s an important point of clarification, because SoEs represent a significant risk area when it comes to procurement in foreign currency (look at ECG and GNPC alone).…
Ghana’s Finance Minister certainly needs strong backing from the public to sustain the fiscal discipline stance he has adopted. That support will become even more critical as the administration’s term progresses, party contractors (read financiers) are inserted in the system,…
It’s always interesting to observe the politics around Ghana’s public debt and exchange rate movements. The ‘reduction’ in Ghana’s public debt between end-December 2024 and June 2025 is mainly due to the cedi’s rapid appreciation. In fact, in dollar terms, the public debt has…
It’s interesting to note that, as of the end of June, the central government hadn’t released a pesewa of the 4.5 billion cedis allocated to the Goldbod in the budget statement. That was the $279m that was supposed to be used by the Goldbod to purchase and export at least 3 tonnes…
The mid-year review was overall a positive one. Macroeconomic indicators are moving in the right direction, and the fiscal outturn was particularly impressive. Both the primary balance and the overall balance recorded their best half-year performances in at least a decade.…
I get the sense that when people say the government isn’t spending, they’re often referring to capital expenditure. In the first half of the year, the government projected GH¢18.1 billion in capital spending but only spent GH¢7.1 billion. That sharp decline in spending has real…
But if Ato continues on this trajectory, he could deliver a balanced budget (where revenue equals expenditure) within a few years. Projecting a 2.4% fiscal deficit (on a cash basis) for the first half of the year but ending up with just 1.1% is a remarkable performance. That…
Recent events have underscored the urgent need for the government’s flagship operation recover all loots (ORAL) initiative to be seen as a policy rooted in clear, measurable, and publicly communicated outcomes. The government must inform Ghanaians of the specific targets for…
If the Ministry of Finance and one of its own agencies, the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department, can’t get public debt figures to align, maybe it’s time to bring in SML to work some of that same magic they performed to reconcile NPA and GRA data.
People who were presumably “targeted” in the “banking sector clean-up” as a form of political retribution are now somehow offering to pay 60% of the alleged losses to the state in exchange for halting their prosecutions. If they were truly targeted and had done nothing wrong,…
The PURC has released the decision paper behind the Q3 2.45% increase in electricity tariffs. One thing that stands out is that if the Commission had strictly followed its established quarterly tariff adjustment formula, consumers would have seen a 23% reduction in tariffs, even…
The NDC promised to conduct a forensic audit into the banking sector clean-up, firmly believing the entire exercise was politically motivated. Yet, there have been no updates on whether that audit has even begun. At the same time, the government continues to drop prosecutions…
Hahaha the PR campaign for Ato Essien’s release is going to hit next level. Because if the cases against many of those involved in the banking sector mess are being discontinued, then why should he remain in jail? This government, from its days in opposition, has consistently…
