The state of affairs is quite a painful one for me to report - Ken Ofori-Atta

The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, has acknowledged the difficulties Ghanaians are going through due to COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war.

“The state of affairs is quite a painful one for me to report to you, it is hard to see our people lament about the prices of basic commodities, these are difficult times for government and indeed, for the Finance Minister . . . we know things are hard but we have a plan to guide us,” he averred.

According to him, “Towards 2022 Russia invaded Ukraine, a situation that worsened the already weakened global supply chain exacerbated by high conditions. These have had a debilitating toll on the cost and standard of living of our people. Mr Speaker, food prices are rising, fuel and transport fares are up, the cost of borrowing for businesses and for households has increased, the cedi has depreciated and the economic outlook has dipped significantly.”

We Shall overcome

The Finance Minister is however confident that "we shall overcome" every difficulty facing the country.

"It's amazing how we can find humour in the most difficult situation that keeps our spirit alive . . . these are not what we desired but we believe in the overcoming spirit of the Ghanaian people . . " he stated.

Adding, "we believe together we will overcome challenges that lie ahead of us . . . with discipline dedication and hard work, we will overcome the challenges . . . we have done it before and we will do it again".