The Deputy Director of the Youth Employment Agency, Nii Tetteh Laryea Cyril, popularly known as TLC, says the Mahama administration is delivering on its promise to reset Ghana’s economy and must be judged on data, not political rhetoric.
Nii Laryea, who is also aspiring for the NDC Greater Accra Regional Communications Officer position, made the remarks on Ahotor FM’s Yepe Ahunu show.
According to him, any fair assessment of the current government must start from what it inherited.
He argued that key economic indicators affecting ordinary Ghanaians show marked improvement since the NDC returned to office.
On the cost of living, he said food inflation – which directly hits households – stood at about 8% in 2017 when the NPP took over, but had risen to about 27.8% by 2024.
He said the recent downward trend in food inflation under the current administration is evidence of better economic management.
The YEA Deputy Director also cited the foreign exchange market, noting that currency stability is critical for business confidence.
“A stable cedi allows businesses to forecast, price properly and invest. Without stability, you cannot expand and you cannot employ,” he argued.
On infrastructure, Nii Laryea defended President John Dramani Mahama’s pledge to turn Ghana into a construction site.
He said ongoing road and other infrastructure projects across the country are proof that the promise is being implemented and not just a campaign slogan.
He linked that to what he called the broader Reset Agenda, which he said goes beyond stabilising the economy to include infrastructure expansion, improving the business environment and tackling unemployment.
Highlighting youth employment, he disclosed that over 86,000 young people have so far gained jobs through government interventions.
For him, investing in youth employment is investing in Ghana’s future.
“Immediately you begin to build the youth of the country, then you are building the future of the country,” he said.
He added that creating decent jobs locally will reduce the desperation that pushes many Ghanaian youth to seek greener pastures abroad.
When young people earn and spend in Ghana, he said, they directly grow the local economy.
Turning to politics, Nii Laryea challenged the New Patriotic Party to do introspection rather than only attacking the government.
He said the NPP lost the 2024 elections for specific reasons and must confront those reasons while in opposition.
He urged the opposition to review its own record in office, the economic hardships Ghanaians faced, and the messages voters sent at the polls.
He recalled that the NDC, while in opposition, consistently criticised economic conditions under the NPP, and said the NPP must now also be ready to account for its stewardship.
The opposition, he said, should use this period to reorganise and reconnect with the concerns of the electorate.
Nii Laryea concluded that the NDC government’s performance should be measured by the implementation of its programmes under the Reset Agenda – from economic stability and construction to youth jobs – while the NPP does the hard work of reflection.
