The Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga Central, Isaac Adongo pooh-poohed Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia's address to the nation on the economy.

According to him, "If you listen to Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, very characteristic of him, he did not make any serious intellectual conversation… You will know for sure that this is someone struggling.”

Dr Bawumia, speaking at a forum organised by TESCON in collaboration with the Danquah Institute at the Pentecost Conference Centre at the Millennium City in Kasoa in the Central Region, Thursday, 7 April 2022, blamed the current economic hardship on the coronavirus pandemic and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

“The increase in commodity prices has been exacerbated by the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Russia and Ukraine together account for 30 percent of the global wheat export. The longer the conflict the greater will be the disruptions to global food supply. The conflict is also likely to slow global growth.

“According to the AfDB the price of wheat has shot up by 62 percent since the war began. The price of fertilizer is up by 300 percent, and the price of maize is up by 36 percent. Here in Ghana, 60 percent of our total imports of iron ore and steel are from Ukraine. Russia accounts for some 30 percent of Ghana’s imported grains, 50 percent of flour and 39 percent of fertilizer. So we are directly affected by the Russia-Ukraine war. Unfortunately, we do not know when it will be over,” he added.

However, Isaac Adongo speaking in an interview on Citi Eyewitness News asked Bawumia "When was the last time you ate any food prepared from wheat?"

“This is a man who says that the main reason why food prices are up is that Ghana imports 30 percent of its wheat requirements from Ukraine. When was the last time you ate any food prepared from wheat? Is wheat our staple food in Ghana? In one breath you say your Planting for Food and Jobs is so buoyant and so successful that there is an abundance of food, yet you claim 30 percent wheat is enough to create food inflation in Ghana. Quite clearly, you can tell there is a problem" he said.