#Fixthecountry: We need to speak up – Sedem Ofori

General Manager of News at Media General, Mr Sedem Ofori, has indicated that the issues that necessitated the #FixTheCountry movement have been with Ghanaians for a long time.

In his view, the time has come for the people to speak up and force duty bearers to work up to expectation.

The #FixTheCountry campaign started on social media by some youth who are demanding good governance from the Akufo-Addo-led government.

Notable personalities added their voices to the campaign, expressing concerns about how the country is being governed currently.

Some raised concerns that cost of living in Ghana is becoming too high as a result of mismanagement of the economy.

These concerns were, however, responded to by Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia on Facebook.

“We are four months into our four year mandate. The job of government is to fix problems. This is what we have been doing since 2017.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has slowed down the global economy and caused increases in prices of commodities such as oil, cement and iron rods as well as overall cost of shipping.

“Nevertheless, it is very important to place the performance of our government over the last four years after inheriting an economy with “no meat on the bone” on record. Ours is a government that listens and cares. The facts and data speak for themselves. Trust President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.”

Speaking ahead of Media General’s public forum on TV3, 3FM and on their digital platforms to seek answers on whose job it is to fix Ghana, Mr Sedem Ofori said “[#Fixthecountry movement] is an accumulation of what the general public feels. The primary vehicle being social media has provided the voice for mass social mobilization.

“I don’t think it is new, the issues that undergird us as a society such as employment, crime, impunity, are not new but I think it has gone on for so long.

“We are increasingly having more of the youth who are very expressive and have found a voice on social media to be able to mobilize people against it.

“It is one thing to have gone to school all these while with the promise of getting a job and you come out of school and there is no job. It is one thing to have a good car and spend so much money fixing it because the roads are bad."

“These frustrations we have expressed them over time but now we have gone past just talking about them to social movements such as the Fixing Ghana movement who are mobilizing people to demonstrate and even go to court to get determination of the court to assert their rights.”

He added “I think we are only now coming to the climax of a feeling that has been widely shared by many Ghanaians for a very long time and now people don’t mind going into the streets to get their voices heard.”

Regarding the forum, he said “This is the first in a series of conversations which TV3 is putting together. We are bringing thought leaders and the general public together to have a conversation on the state of affairs in our country as regards things like youth unemployment and crime.”