Ushering in the new year with hope
Admittedly, the year 2014 has been a difficult one.
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The year was fraught with challenges on all fronts of national life. The energy sector was bedevilled with the challenge that led inevitably to the load-shedding, otherwise known as ‘dumsor-dumsor’, which is far from over.
The energy crisis has seen the collapse of a good number of small-scale businesses and a scaling down of the number of employees, leading to an increase in the unemployment rate.
The cedi experienced a free-fall against the major international trading currencies, which led to a number of interventions by the Bank of Ghana(BoG) to stem the fall.
Without doubt, some of the measures instituted by the BoG did not go down well with the business sector and that led to some level of uproar being expressed.
The escalating exchange rate also led to a high rise in the prices of some goods and services, especially those that are imported.
The difference in the parity rate was transferred to the consumer and that negatively affected the prices of goods and services locally, which impacted in no small way on inflation and the conduct of public business.
One other issue that gained notoriety was corruption, which was evident in the various exposés mainly by the media which also threw light on acts of financial malfeasance on the part of state actors.
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The agitations of labour, that culminated in strikes for some days, did not only adversely affect national productivity but also drummed home the genuine demands of workers.
On the eve of the New Year, aspirations are high, resolutions are rife and prayers for the betterment of life in the New Year are on the lips of a good number of people.
It is not unusual to have high hopes for the New Year, but such hopes must be accompanied by practical actions.
For the Ghanaian, it is normal to have high hopes, but action remains very paramount and that must be demonstrated in the coming days.
The expectations of Ghanaians also remain very high and that require that every justifiable action is taken to meet those expectations within reasonable limits.
Prayers will be said for the country. Confessions will be made for the failures of the year. Resolutions will be made for new actions in the New Year.
But beyond all these, action will be required from the government to initiate the necessary interventions to arrest the worsening living conditions.
We look forward to the New Year with renewed hope.
The Daily Graphic wishes all Ghanaians a happy and prosperous New Year.