Alberta is a Province in Western Canada with an estimated population of 4m people. The oil sands of Alberta are reputed to have unconventional oil reserves approximately equal to the conventional oil reserves of the rest of the world, estimated to be 1.6 trillion barrels. As of late 2006 there were over $100 billion in oil sands projects under construction or in the planning stages in Northeastern Alberta.

Against this backdrop, one can see that Alberta is a rich Province by most if not all standards.

Edmonton is the Capital City of Alberta. The City of Edmonton and Commonwealth Games Canada announced on February 10, 2015 that they will not submit its official candidature for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, citing Alberta’s fiscal environment, due to falling oil prices, as the reason for the shift to 2026. That is what would be expected of a fiscally responsible government.

What are the lessons here for Ghana?

In the midst of economic challenges, it is prudent to re-order priorities, both at the personal and national level.

In his State of the Nation address to Parliament in 2013, the President of Ghana, Mr. John Mahama said in reference to the economy that “the meat was down to the bone”. In the earlier part of 2014, President Mahama admitted that the economy was going through challenges. In the latter part of 2014, President Mahama said Ghana was going to the IMF because we needed “policy credibility”.

Against this backdrop, one would have expected that certain projects would be scaled down in line with the economic reality. Yet, borrowing continues to go on unabated for projects whose fruits we are yet to taste (and may never taste). Several warnings have been sounded to the NDC government from several quarters, the latest as recently as the week of February 9 from the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), about the damaging effects of unbridled borrowing. What is worse, some of the borrowing appear to be for “political effect”, as opposed to economic prudence.

On February 13, 2014, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) to the Chief Executive of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), in an interview on Asempa was heard proudly and lavishly praising the President for having fulfilled a campaign promise. That campaign promise was to build a new Kumasi Central Market. According to the PRO, the government had secured a loan from Brazil for the Central Market Project. He added for effect that the funds had been lodged in a local bank so the Project was just awaiting commencement.
1. Does it take the Central Government to fund the Central Market for a Metropolitan Area?
2. If the Central Government is to provide the funds, should it not be in the form of a loan to the KMA?
3. Should the construction of a central market be funded with a foreign loan?
4. If a campaign promise was made in 2012 when the economy was supposedly “e dey bee kur kur”, should the government go ahead with it in an era when the economy is dumsor-challenged, is suffering “policy credibility”, and has been described as “the meat is down to the bone”?
5. Should every project be seen through electoral calculation by the NDC government?

Vital programs like the NHIS, the District Assemblies Common Fund have been starved of funding by this NDC government. Yet daily, Government Communicators troop from one radio station to another with a list of so-called “unprecedented number of projects”. In the midst of all the economic crises, we are told that there are plans by the Government to bid to host the 2017 African Cup of Nations!

In the words of a respected Cleric, “Nyansafo?? mo w? he?” to wit “Where are the wise men and women when they are sorely needed?”




NPP Canada Communications Team. nppcanada@outlook.com/6478003585