Effia MP, Isaac Boamah-Nyarko Esq., has admitted that the NPP should have consulted Ghanaians before implementing the e-levy, emphasizing that the party did not adequately engage citizens and pledging to do better in the future.
Speaking with Bola Ray on Starr Chat on Starr 103.5 FM on Thursday, October 2, the legislator said the party’s approach contributed to public dissatisfaction and electoral setbacks.
“For some of the reasons that we lost the elections in 2024… one area I believe is that at some point in our second term we were not listening to the concerns of the masses,” Boamah-Nyarko said.
He explained that although the e-levy was part of efforts to improve revenue, many Ghanaians opposed it.
“Even if it went against them, we should have engaged the people and explored alternatives. What we did was not good enough,” he added, stressing that public engagement is key to implementing policies successfully.
When asked if he believes the NPP government shouldn’t have pushed the e-levy, he had this to say:
“Of course, yes… because the people who we are going to take it from say ‘we don’t like it.’ Even if you will go against them, you listen to them and do a lot more of engagement. You carry and rally them along, and then they will understand. But where you go through it and you say, ‘well, if you like it or not, this is how we can collect revenue to meet our revenue,’ I think that is not good enough.”
Boamah-Nyarko noted that pushing policies without listening to citizens risks backlash and undermines public trust.
He emphasised that while the party achieved successes in areas like free SHS, road infrastructure, and healthcare improvements under Agenda 111, failures such as the handling of the e-levy overshadowed these accomplishments, adding that they (NPP) “owe it to the good people of Ghana to apologise to them.”
“Given the next opportunity, we have said time and again that we will do better and listen,” he concluded.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
