We never said Covid, Russia-Ukraine war didn’t affect global economy and that of Ghana – Murtala

Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, has dismissed claims that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) denied the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war on Ghana's economy.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, April 8, the Tamale Central MP stressed that while the NDC acknowledges the effects of these global events, the party refuses to accept the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration's attempt to shift full blame for Ghana’s economic crisis onto them.

“We have never said that those two incidents never had an effect somewhat on the global economy and that of Ghana. What we refused to accept was when they desperately attempted to blame the entirety of the mess they created on COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine War,” Murtala wrote.

He described the claims by the NPP as desperate and misleading, accusing them of trying to justify their "grossly incompetent" management of the economy.

Murtala added that many neighboring countries faced similar global challenges yet managed their economies better than the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia administration did.

Earlier in Geneva, the minister had acknowledged that trade tensions between global powers, alongside the pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, continue to pose challenges for smaller economies.

Quoting a Ghanaian proverb, he said, “When two elephants fight, it is the grasshopper that suffers,” to illustrate how countries like Ghana feel the brunt of global economic disruptions.

He also noted that despite the setbacks, Ghana is forging ahead with plans to meet the Sustainable Development Goals, leveraging science, technology, and innovation.

“It is gratifying to note that Ghana is one of the foremost countries to have developed a science, technology, and innovation roadmap for the attainment of the SDGs,” he stated.

He ended his post with a swipe at the opposition: “These dudes are not learning at all.”