Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has raised concerns over what he describes as a growing imbalance in Ghana’s economic environment, warning that current policies are disadvantaging local businesses and favouring foreign competitors.
His comments follow a March 31 engagement between the Minority Caucus and the Ghana Employers’ Association, where industry leaders outlined mounting challenges across key sectors of the economy.
Leading a delegation that included several Members of Parliament, Afenyo-Markin said the concerns reflect deeper structural issues within the country’s policy and regulatory framework.
“The picture described by Council members is of an operating environment that consistently advantages foreign capital over domestic enterprise—in access to finance, regulatory treatment, and even informal market practices,” he stated.
He argued that the situation is the result of deliberate policy choices rather than coincidence, adding that the Minority strongly rejects such an outcome.
“This is a policy outcome, and it is one that the Minority rejects,” he said.
According to him, Ghana’s industrialisation drive is under threat if local businesses remain unable to compete effectively in their own markets.
“Ghana’s industrialisation agenda cannot be advanced while domestic manufacturers are structurally unable to compete,” he stressed.
Afenyo-Markin noted that the concerns raised by employers span multiple sectors, including mining, manufacturing, agriculture, and trade. Many of these challenges, he said, stem from decisions made without adequate consultation with industry stakeholders.
He criticised what he described as a pattern of exclusion in policymaking, where industry input is often ignored.
“Industry bodies reported submitting formal written representations on pending legislation, receiving no substantive response, and then watching their concerns be disregarded,” he said.
He further emphasised that post-decision engagement does not amount to meaningful consultation.
“Consultation that takes place after a decision has already been made is not consultation,” he added.
Beyond market access, the Minority Leader pointed to policy instability and regulatory uncertainty as key factors discouraging investment and weakening local enterprise. He cited high effective tax rates in sectors such as mining as contributing to capital flight.
The Caucus also raised concerns about the use of artificial intelligence systems at the ports, warning that flawed implementation is imposing unjustified costs on businesses through inflated assessments.
“In these cases, it is a system generating inflated assessments against businesses that were doing nothing wrong, at considerable cost to them,” he said.
While acknowledging the potential benefits of technology, Afenyo-Markin stressed that its deployment must meet strict legal and technical standards.
“Any deployment of AI in a revenue or enforcement context must meet the relevant legal, technical, and procedural standards,” he noted.
He concluded that the Minority will push for stronger parliamentary oversight and policy reforms to address the issues raised, insisting that Ghanaian businesses deserve a fair and stable operating environment.
“Ghana’s employers are not asking for favours. They are asking for a state that engages before it acts and a regulatory system that is stable and proportionate,” he said, adding that the Minority will hold the government accountable.
