Bekwai MP Poku-Adusei Punches Holes in Mahama’s One Million Jobs Claim

The Member of Parliament for Bekwai, Ralph Poku-Adusei, has sharply criticised President John Dramani Mahama over what he describes as inconsistencies in job creation figures presented in the State of the Nation Address.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament during a debate on the address, Mr Poku-Adusei accused the President of inflating employment statistics, contrasting the claim of over one million jobs created with figures contained in the 2026 Budget Statement.
Referencing page 80, paragraph 573 of the budget presented earlier by the Finance Minister, the Bekwai MP noted that the Labour Department reported placing 9,553 job seekers into employment after conducting 1,085 workplace inspections and registering 528 compensation cases.
“My emphasis — 9,553 job seekers in employment,” he emphasized. “And today, you have the President looking into the eyes of Ghanaians and telling us that you have created over one million jobs.”
He questioned the credibility of the figure and demanded greater transparency from government.
“The reality is that you haven’t created any jobs, and you owe it to Ghanaians to say that for the whole of 2025, no jobs were created,” he argued.
Beyond employment figures, the Bekwai MP also challenged the government’s reliance on macroeconomic indicators to demonstrate progress.
He dismissed what he termed “jargons” about inflation and exchange rate stability, asking how such indicators translate into improved livelihoods for ordinary citizens.
“Where is the power?” he queried. “If inflation is low and you don’t have money in your pocket, what have you done? If the dollar is down and you still don’t have money, what have you done?”
Mr Poku-Adusei concluded by urging the President to reappear before Parliament with a more accurate account of Ghana’s economic and employment situation, insisting that citizens deserve a truthful reflection of their lived realities.