Gabriella Tetteh, a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Communications team, believes that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is not providing the necessary leadership in addressing economic challenges.
Unlike President Akufo-Addo, she said, former President John Draman Mahama demonstrated leadership by convening the Senchi Forum, where experts gathered around a table to discuss how to address the country’s economic challenges at the time.
She stated that the NDC has asked Mr. Akufo-Addo to do the same and collect ideas to address the challenges.
Speaking on the closure of shops by members of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) on TV3’s New Days how with Roland Walker on Thursday October 20, she said “we told Akufo-Addo to call for an economic dialogue. The solution to the problems are there but we need leadership, they should organise economic forum the way we did when we were in office.”
Shops in Accra closed from Wednesday, October 19 as traders started a three-day action to register displeasure at the current economic conditions.
GUTA directed all its members to close down shops in Accra.
They are protesting the high cost of doing business in Ghana as a result of the economic meltdown.
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They claim the depreciation of the domestic currency, Cedi, to the US Dollar is making it difficult for most traders to stay in business.
Not even a last-minute move by the Council of State would stop GUTA from embarking on the action.
“It is obvious that we cannot contain these challenges any longer as it is becoming increasingly challenging,” GUTA National President Dr Joseph Obeng told journalists on Tuesday, October 18 after the meeting.
“We want to send a hint to the government to recognize that there is a sense of urgency in this situation. On this note, by the power vested in me by the trading community, I declare that all shops in the Greater Accra be closed [Wednesday] till Monday.”
This follows last week’s closure of shops in the central business district of the Ashanti Region.
There, the traders were protesting the e-VAT system introduced by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
It took the intervention of the Queen mother of the Ashanti Kingdom, Asantehemaa Nana Konadu Yiadom II for the tensions to ease.
