There was a heated debate on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana, when the host, Randy Abbey, engaged Gideon Boako, Spokesperson for Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, over the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government’s claims of creating 1.4 million jobs, touted as an unprecedented achievement in Ghana’s history.
Randy Abbey sought clarification on how the government can have created 1.4 million new jobs in the public sector and another 900,000 in the private sector, yet SSNIT has only 1.2 million active members.
“You mentioned that 2.3 million jobs have been created, with 1.4 million in the public sector. However, the Controller and Accountant-General recently appeared before Parliament and reported 760,000 persons on the government payroll. Additionally, SSNIT has an active membership of 1.2 million. How can the government create 1.4 million new jobs in the public sector and another 900,000 in the private sector, yet SSNIT has only 1.2 million active members?” Randy Abbey asked.
In response, Gideon Boako admitted that he could not provide details on the SSNIT report but asserted that the government has data listing the 1.4 million jobs, a figure that has not been contested to date.
He further explained that not all public sector employees are on the Controller and Accountant-General’s payroll and that SSNIT does not have data on security services, as they do not contribute to SSNIT, with some agencies underreporting their staff strength.
However, Isaac Adongo, Ranking Member of the Finance Committee of Parliament, countered Boako’s claims, stating that the government has not been truthful with the facts.
“Those who are not on payroll can be counted, such as agencies that use internally generated funds. How can the Controller and Accountant-General verify 760,000 people while the government claims to have over 2 million, including ghost workers?” Adongo questioned.
This debate reflects the ongoing controversies over the number of jobs created under the NPP government, with discrepancies in data raising concerns about the figures’ accuracy.
Watch the video below:
