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He stressed that times are hard and tough in the country adding that the Finance Minister only repeated the government's undertakings over the period which falls short of ameliorating the economic hardship.
According to him, the Minister "Trumpeting your achievements does not fix my pocket and here when I talk about my pocket, I'm talking about those public sentiments that are being expressed, and the dissatisfaction in the level of unemployment with the public services, the dumsor, the roads, and the issues to do with education, security, health services, and housing which is making people unhappy and the perception of the increasing levels of corruption."
Speaking on Citi TV, the Financial analyst said "Telling somebody who says there is corruption, telling him about 1D1F, telling him about Planting for Food and Jobs and the others and however deep-rooted these may be in truth does not solve his or her problem."
On Sunday, May 9, 2021, Ken Ofori Atta addressed Ghanaians on the state of the economy following the new trend going viral on social media, #FixTheCountry.
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Ofori Atta said: "I acknowledge that these are challenging times for many of us, and we, like almost all the countries in the world, are living through rough weather. A time that has put a burden on the necessities of lives and livelihoods never like before in recent history. Unfortunately, these external shocks have heightened Ghana's perennial problems, which we are committed to addressing."
"In extraordinary times, you should expect exceptional leadership from your Government. I truly believe we cannot ensure exceptional leadership without a collective effort. So, I commend the youth for calling on Government and leaders to be at their best. This shows the patriotism of the Ghanaian youth, echoing the Presidentâs call to Be a Citizen, Not a Spectator. You have elected us to solve the problems that face this country. We will continue to work with you and other stakeholders to do just that."
He also listed a number of initiatives put out by the government to fix the economy.
He said: "First, I am working with the Minister for Water and Sanitation to immediately ensure potable water to areas with felt need, especially in the most urban areas.
"Second, I am working with the Ministers of Roads and Highways, Transport and Interior to address congestion along the major highways.
"Third, we are fast-tracking the implementation of the US$200million Jobs and Skills Programme to enhance job creation significantly. This intervention is designed to facilitate new and expanded private sector businesses to employ a lot more people. This we believe is a more sustainable way to rebuild this economy instead of expanding Government employment schemes.
"Fourth, starting this month, we are rolling over 8 additional interventions under the GhanaCARES âObataanpaâ programme. These will be in the Health, Agriculture, Tourism, Trade, Digitization, Science and technology, Housing and financial services."
"Fifth, by the end of July, we will have a new Development Bank that will provide long-term wholesale financing to the private sector through Commercial banks."
He added: "The good people of Ghana have given us the mandate to get things done. For us as a Government, this is a clarion call for a national conversation on the shared burden to renew the social contract of our democracy. At its minimum, we should ensure social justice and social mobility for most Ghanaians. At our best, we should open for all Ghanaians, an economic system under which each citizen shall be guaranteed the opportunity to show the best in him or her. As I always have, I will commit to working to fix those structures that will set Ghana on this path."