Dr. Daniel Amateye Anim, Chief Economist at PIED Africa, has expressed skepticism about the feasibility of the National Democratic Congress (NDC)’s “Big Push” policy, which aims to inject significant investment into large-scale infrastructure projects across Ghana. Dr. Anim argues that the policy is unrealistic given the country’s current debt levels and lack of access to international financial markets.
In an interview with The High Street Journal (THSJ), Dr. Anim highlighted Ghana’s fiscal constraints, noting that the country’s debt-to-GDP ratio is close to 80%. He explained that any NDC government would face significant pressure to maintain fiscal discipline, making it difficult to raise the necessary funds for the infrastructure projects without worsening the national debt. “Borrowing from the capital market is not possible because Ghana is in debt and yet to pay for the next 2-3 years,” he added.
Dr. Anim suggested that the “Big Push” policy should be deferred to a future term, possibly in 2028, as the government would need more than four years to implement it effectively. He proposed that the NDC could achieve the policy’s goals by mobilizing revenue domestically, particularly by addressing corruption and mismanagement within government sectors.
He also warned that without a clear roadmap and concrete financial backing, the “Big Push” policy risks becoming another unfulfilled political promise. Speaking on the issue of tax cuts, Dr. Anim emphasized that Ghana struggles with revenue generation and must develop mechanisms to manage revenue effectively to support such ambitious policies.
Reflecting on past experiences, Dr. Anim noted that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) faced similar challenges in 2017 when they made ambitious promises without fully accounting for the country’s financial realities. He advised political parties to be cautious and realistic in their promises to avoid being perceived as dishonest by the electorate.
