Former Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, says the NPP did not engage enough in political packaging to sway the perception of citizens. a factor that possibly contributed to its loss of political goodwill.
Speaking to Joshua Kodjo Mensah on State of Affairs on GHOne TV, Oppong Nkrumah acknowledged that the current government is actively using optics and strategic positioning to solidify public confidence, something his own administration did not do well enough.
“One of the criticisms you hear about us was that our communication wasn’t where it was supposed to be. So we think we didn’t do enough settings and creating impressions around our stuff,” he asserted.
His comments come at a time when Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson has been actively engaging the public ahead of the 2025 Budget presentation. Over the past few days, Ato Forson has visited market centers and interacted with traders and youth groups, a move widely seen as part of the government’s attempt to control the economic narrative.
At Makola Market, he was seen engaging traders and head porters, listening to concerns about rising taxes, cedi instability, and the high cost of doing business. Days later, he took the conversation online, hosting a live discussion on X Spaces (formerly Twitter Spaces), which attracted thousands of young Ghanaians eager to share their views on 2025 budget.
But the Ofoase Ayirebi MP believes that the NDC has opted for political “settings”, using well-staged engagements to strengthen its image.
“The president came to tell us that he had invited us to the National Economic Dialogue… and that we should participate. Over settings”
“No invitations came to us. Check from the minority, Check from the NPP. No invitations came to us. So there’s a lot of settings,” he insisted.
Oppong Nkrumah acknowledged the effectiveness of these engagements but warned that political packaging alone will not satisfy Ghanaians.
“You can call 10 conferences, but if it doesn’t translate into jobs, people won’t be impressed. They are not going to say that because you called 10 conferences, they are happy with you. What people want is jobs,” he emphasized.
Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has therefore urged the government to go beyond political optics and focus on real economic solutions.
