Veteran journalist, publisher and Pan-Africanist Kwesi Pratt Jnr has called on the government to clarify the objectives of its proposed New Economy agenda, questioning whether the initiative signals a departure from the economic commitments the National Democratic Congress (NDC) made ahead of the 2024 general elections.
Mr Pratt said the government must explain how the proposed framework aligns with its existing policy commitments, particularly the 24-Hour Economy programme, which was presented as a major strategy for expanding economic activity and creating jobs.
Speaking on Metro TV’s morning programme on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, he expressed concern about what he considers a lack of clarity surrounding the New Economy concept being advanced by the Ministry of Finance.
He questioned whether the initiative was intended to replace the administration’s original economic programme or simply provide a new identity for policies already outlined in its manifesto.
Mr Pratt argued that the NDC secured its electoral mandate on the basis of specific promises and must therefore account for their implementation.
He maintained that if the government has encountered challenges that made some of its campaign commitments impractical, it should openly explain the situation and inform the public of any decision to change direction.
“The mandate of this government is clear,” he said, stressing that Ghanaians has a legitimate expectation that the administration would deliver on the promises that informed their decision at the polls.
According to him, any decision to abandon or substantially modify those commitments should be communicated transparently rather than introduced under a new policy description without adequate explanation.
“If at any point government realises that those promises cannot be fulfilled, government needs to come back to us and say, ‘Look, you gave us a mandate to do this. We’ve been in office, we’ve seen that the promises we made were not realistic, we are abandoning it and going for something called the New Economy,’” he stated.
He also raised concerns about the proposed four-year duration of the New Economy programme, questioning the rationale for a policy framework whose implementation could extend beyond the current administration’s constitutional mandate.
### Pratt questions whether New Economy is policy shift or budget slogan
Mr Pratt further questioned whether the New Economy concept represented a substantive change in government policy or was simply a new slogan being introduced ahead of the national budget presentation.
He observed that governments and political parties often seek to distinguish their budget statements through attractive slogans, although such descriptions do not necessarily indicate changes in policy direction.
He said there would be little cause for concern if the New Economy was merely a new description of the government’s existing economic agenda.
However, he insisted that any fundamental departure from the NDC’s 2024 campaign commitments would require a clear explanation to the electorate.
“If this New Economy is couched as a slogan in the competition for the most catchy slogans which we are used to, then there’s no problem. But if this New Economy is a departure from the promises which were made in 2024, then there are questions to be raised,” he said.
The veteran journalist also questioned the authority behind the decision to introduce the proposed framework, seeking clarification on whether it reflected a change in the NDC’s economic programme.
He specifically questioned the respective roles of the President, the Finance Minister and the governing party in determining the country’s economic direction.
“Has the National Democratic Congress changed its programme? Is it the Minister of Finance who decides the direction of the national economy? Is it the President? What is happening? What is this New Economy? What does it mean? I don’t understand,” he asked.
Beyond his concerns about the New Economy agenda, Mr Pratt called on the government to use its budget presentations to provide a comprehensive account of its performance against the major promises made to Ghanaians.
He argued that a national budget should serve not only as a statement of future spending priorities and economic projections but also as an opportunity for the government to report on the implementation of its existing commitments.
He cited the 24-Hour Economy programme, which featured prominently in the NDC’s 2024 election campaign as a key intervention intended to stimulate production, expand business operations and create employment opportunities.
Mr Pratt said the government must demonstrate the practical steps it had taken since assuming office to implement the programme and indicate whether it remained on course to achieve its stated objectives.
He maintained that Ghanaians are entitled to receive measurable information on the progress of the initiative, including policies introduced, implementation milestones and the expected employment outcomes before the end of the administration’s tenure.
“We want the mandate to establish the 24-Hour Economy. That was supposed to be the main vehicle for generating employment,” he said.
He argued that the government should provide a clear account of the measures undertaken over the past two years to translate the campaign promise into tangible results.
“We’ve been in power for two years. These are the things that we have done to make sure that the 24-Hour Economy promise, which was a game-changer, is on course. And we believe that by the end of our tenure, the 24-Hour Economy would have generated so many jobs and so on,” he stated.
Mr Pratt insisted that the public had a legitimate right to demand accountability for the commitments made during the election campaign.
He said the government must demonstrate how its current economic direction connects to the mandate given to it by voters, particularly as it prepares to introduce a new policy framework under the New Economy banner.
His comments come amid growing public discussion about the proposed economic agenda and its relationship with the government’s original policy commitments, especially the 24-Hour Economy programme.
The key issue, according to Mr Pratt’s concerns, is whether the New Economy represents an extension of the administration’s existing economic strategy or a shift from the promises on which it secured the mandate to govern.
By 1960news.com
