Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has taken aim at President John Dramani Mahama’s handling of unemployment, accusing him of focusing more on terminations than on creating new jobs for Ghanaians.

Afenyo-Markin’s remarks came in response to the Chief of Staff Julius Debrah’s recent directive to annul all public sector appointments made after December 7, 2024. The move, which cited non-compliance with good governance standards, has sparked criticism from the opposition.

Speaking in Parliament after Mahama’s State of the Nation Address, Afenyo-Markin highlighted a stark contrast between the President’s acknowledgement of 2.2 million unemployed Ghanaians and the reality of widespread job dismissals under his administration. “Mahama has today told us that we have 2.2 million Ghanaians unemployed. But what he has forgotten is that in his administration, in less than 100 days, all we know is ‘sack them,'” Afenyo-Markin said.

The Effutu Member of Parliament (MP) added that the frustration on the streets of Accra is palpable, with the youth expressing dissatisfaction over the constant job cuts. “Mr. Speaker, on the streets of Accra today, the youth of this country are saying that under Mahama, there have been a lot of terminations,” he said.

Mr Afenyo-Markin also urged the President to stop lamenting about governance issues and take responsibility for addressing them. He suggested that Mahama’s remarks were recycled rhetoric, presenting the same concerns as if the country was beginning a new chapter. “The President again came to this house with a familiar story—the usual lamentations. He packaged it in a language as though we have a new beginning. Mr. Speaker, if the President has any concerns, his duty is to fix them,” Afenyo-Markin emphasized.

The Minority Leader also criticized Mahama’s claims of reducing the number of ministers, arguing that while fewer ministers may have been appointed, the President has increased the number of presidential staffers and committees. “The President says that he has delivered fewer ministers, but it is clear that his strategy is ‘less is more’ yet, while appointing fewer ministers, he has increased the number of presidential staffers and committees,” he concluded.

Source:TheDotNews