The Deputy Ranking Member on Parliament’s Finance Committee, Dr Gideon Boako, has argued that Ghana’s improving macroeconomic indicators will mean little unless they translate into jobs, warning that economic growth without employment risks deepening public frustration.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile during discussions on the 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review presented by Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, the Tano North MP said government cannot measure success solely by favourable fiscal and macroeconomic statistics while thousands of young people remain unemployed.
Dr Boako maintained that the ultimate test of any economic recovery is whether it improves the lives of ordinary Ghanaians through employment, higher incomes and expanded economic opportunities.
“A growing economy with unemployed youth is not growth but a factory of frustration,” he declared.
According to him, while government has highlighted falling inflation, improving fiscal balances and stronger macroeconomic indicators, many young people continue to struggle to secure decent jobs despite completing their education.
He argued that an economy that grows without creating employment risks widening inequality and undermining public confidence in economic reforms.
Dr Boako said the country’s fiscal and economic policies should therefore be judged not only by headline growth figures but by their ability to stimulate private sector expansion, support entrepreneurship and create sustainable employment for the youth.
“Economic growth must be reflected in jobs, businesses and improved living standards. If young people are still unable to find meaningful employment, then we cannot celebrate the numbers as though they tell the whole story,” he added.
