Red card! Ghanaians roast government for celebrating ‘hat-trick’ with kenkey party

A section of Ghanaians on social media have shown their government red card for uncharacteristically holding a party to celebrate economic ‘hat-trick’ scored in the midst of challenges.

Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta on Friday morning pulled out all the stops to celebrate what his Ministry tagged as Ghana’s hat-trick; a successful eurobond, completion of IMF credit programme and a slight appreciation of the cedi against major international trading currencies.

On a morning that Ghanaians woke up to the news of a ghastly accident that claimed at least 50 lives including children, the minister and his staff gathered to have a kenkey party, but in the view of some Ghanaians, ‘this is so wrong!’.

Photos of the celebration surfaced online Friday afternoon showing Mr Ofori Atta eating ‘waakye’ in traditional leaves, and has since triggered divergent views, with many people expressing anger at the government.

A close government associate, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, has further explained the rationale behind the ‘kenkey’ party in a Facebook post Saturday.

“Perhaps, if we all eat more kenkey and fish (made in Ghana) and use and wear more made in Ghana goods and even, errm, drive made in Ghana car all like our Finance Minister does, we may be helping the Cedi in our own little ways,” he posted.

But on social media, particularly Twitter, some Ghanaians are literally roasting the government for celebrating what in their view, is mediocre, and for being ‘insensitive’ to the families of those who died in the accident.

For most of the people, it is unthinkable for the government to jubilate over a loan it has secured which the taxpayers will eventually pay. More mind boggling to some of them is the celebration over the marginal appreciation of the cedi, which for them, it is just temporary.