Dr. Nii Moi Thompson

Pivoting to Growth, Jobs, and Sustainable Livelihoods. #MayDay2026 #ResettingGhana #GhanaianWorkers #GrowthAndJobs

@martinvars @3rdwavemedia Another good point. I hate the PPP statistical sleight of hand. Works better with per capita GDP, not overall GDP.

@3rdwavemedia By what measure? Nominal GDP: US ~$29T, China ~$18T. Even PPP puts them comparable, not double. Size alone is not the story. The US leads in productivity per capita, capital markets depth, and innovation output. China has real strengths but overstating them weakens the argument.

The United States has a habit of watching its rivals shrink. The Soviet Union collapsed. Japan, which was supposed to own America in the 1980s, is now a far smaller economy. China looks set to follow. In 2021 China's GDP reached 76 percent of American GDP, and the consensus was that it would pass the US before 2030. That consensus has collapsed. By 2024 the US economy was 29.2 trillion dollars against China's 18.9 trillion, a gap that has widened for three straight years. China's working-age population is shrinking. Its fertility rate has fallen to roughly 1.0, half of replacement. There is no immigration to compensate. Yet America benefits from believing it faces a formidable rival. The belief is what keeps it competing.

@martinvars Been waiting for this analysis. Another cause of the widening gap is the long shutdown after Covid, when the US economy was riding on the back of trillions in stimulus spending. That spending continues to drive consumer spending as china's buckles under the real estate bubble.

🇬🇭Talks of “massive leakages” at #Ghana’s ports have resurfaced. But relative to its import exposure, Ghana’s customs revenue sits slightly above the regional trend. That doesn’t settle the question. The benchmark itself may be low—and it doesn’t account for tariff rates or exemptions. @MoF_Ghana @GhanaRevenue

🇬🇭Earlier, I showed that #Ghana’s customs revenue looks broadly in line with its import exposure. But that doesn’t settle the question. Across SSA, higher tariffs do not consistently translate into higher customs revenue. #Ghana has relatively high tariffs—but only moderate customs yield. The question is whether that gap reflects exemptions or leakages.

“We want to prove to Ghanaians that we can do it,” says Ibrahim Mahama, CEO of Engineers and Planners, after the takeover of the Damang Mine. He pledged major investments, including a concrete road from Damang to Cape Coast within two years and an airport within six months, assuring host communities of social and economic development. #CitiNewsroom #Mining #DamangMine #GhanaEconomy #NaturalResources

@Bosch1989gh @vigilantGhanai1 @JoyNewsOnTV As in listing genocides without listing Gaza?

@NiiMoiThompson @vigilantGhanai1 @JoyNewsOnTV You don’t believe there should be divergence of views?

Middle East blaze: Transatlantic slavery is not the ‘gravest crime’ against humanity - Roey Gilad, Israeli Ambassador to Ghana. #JoyNews #ThePulse

@vigilantGhanai1 @JoyNewsOnTV Just shocking! They seem utterly clueless about how the world operates.

@JoyNewsOnTV Why is Joy news allow this on their platform to disrespect the president??? Are you guy idiots ? Do u understand national interest at all?? Can a Ghanaian consulate go on tv in Isreal and say that about holocaust?? You guys should be ashamed

@joyce_bawah Thanks. I think the comms team should do better photo selection. Too many repeats and minor variations. Good luck!

A few hours ago, President John Dramani Mahama arrived in Lyon, France, for the One Health Summit, a gathering of world leaders, health ministers, and global health experts, which he will be co-chairing with French President Emanuel Macron. The president was welcomed in Lyon by a group of Ghanaian families living in Lyon, who were excited to welcome and meet their president on Easter Monday. The president will leave Lyon for Paris after Tuesday’s summit for a bilateral meeting with President Macron at the champs Élysée Palace.

@kwesiprattjr Actually, we need decent parks for children and the general public in every community throughout the country, not just Accra. Hence, a ministry for Sports and Recreation. Instead, we're wasting money on the biggest state-sponsored racket, the Black Stars. 😣😣😣😣

CHILDREN’S PARK An article published in the March 31, 2026, issue of the “Spyder,” authored by Queenstar Esi Korkor Wilson – Kingson, a grade 8 student, makes interesting reading. It is headed “Why I Think The Efua Sutherland Childrens’Park Can No Longer Be Considered a Children’s Park”. My last visit to the park was about 3 weeks ago, when my friend Tijani and I went to participate in the “Kenkey Festival,” and I must admit that Queenstar is right. There is nothing about the Park that makes it child-friendly. It looks more like an abandoned desolate place. For some time, it has been used as a flow-over car park for events at the National Theatre and Kempinski Hotel, funerals, festivals, and durbars. Accra as the modern city it claims to be, needs a true childrens’ Park which promotes meaningful recreation that promotes healthy cultural values, relevant education, and creativity.

SETTING THE RECORDS STRAIGHT Value for Money Office The PPA ensures compliance with procurement processes; it was never designed to undertake rigorous technical, engineering and financial audits of billion-cedi infrastructure projects. B. Ghana needs both: compliance and value. That is why the Value for Money Office is not a duplication. It is protection. It is the firewall between the taxpayer and inflated contracts. C. Had we implemented this years ago, Ghana would have been spared many stalled projects, overpricing scandals and budget overruns. Why Ghana Needs a Value for Money (VfM) Office – 6 Key Points D. Procurement Compliance Is Not Value for Money The PPA focuses only on procurement procedures, not cost efficiency, lifecycle costing, technical soundness or post-contract verification—leaving a major gap in ensuring real value for public spending. E. Closes Legal and Institutional Gaps in the PFM Framework Current PFM Regulations require VfM assessments only for single-source procurement. A dedicated VfM Office extends this assurance to all public projects, procurement methods, and funding sources, including PPPs, SOEs, IGF projects and donor-funded works. F. Prevents Inflated Pricing and Cost Overruns Ghana lacks a central mechanism to benchmark prices, detect inflated BoQs and stop unjustified contract variations. With the exit of Crown Agents, this oversight gap has widened—leading to persistent cost inflation. G. Provides Technical Assurance Across the Entire Project Cycle VfM assurance requires engineers, QSs, cost analysts and project auditors to assess projects before, during and after implementation—expertise and functions not available within the PPA or the Ministry of Finance. H. Creates an Independent Oversight Mechanism A dedicated VfM Office separates procurement-process oversight (PPA) from technical and cost assurance, eliminating conflicts of interest and ensuring neutral, professional scrutiny of public projects. I. Aligns Ghana with Global Best Practice and Strengthens Fiscal Discipline Countries like the UK, Singapore and the USA maintain independent VfM/project assurance bodies. Establishing Ghana’s VfM Office will enhance fiscal discipline, reduce wastage, and increase public confidence in government spending. Why Amending The PPA Act Won’t Achieve True Value For Money J. The PPA regulates procurement procedures, not whether projects deliver fair pricing, quality outputs, or long-term value. K. Its mandate is limited to checking if the process was followed—not evaluating costs, technical soundness, or project performance. L. Simply adding “VfM” to the PPA Act will not give it the tools, expertise, or structure required for real Value for Money assurance.

@Fentuo_ @yobeng @_razakmusbau It has to be part of a larger discussion of "Sports and Recreation", a wider concept that was introduced in the 40-year Development Plan that was rejected. Now we have a ministry. "sports" must be more than football, and within football it muat be about more than Black Stars.

@yobeng @_razakmusbau We need a whole conversation on this!

What happened to horse racing in Ghana? The once vibrant glue of social and sporting life is now on the brink of collapse. @_razakmusbau tells the story of the sport of kings and its rise and fall in Ghana.

Director-General of NDPC, Dr. Audrey Smock Amoah, emphasises effective planning and timely implementation for Ghana's development. She highlights the Commission's mandate under Acts 479 and 480, at a strategic regional consultative engagement.

Ghana remains poor by 2057 without urgent northern development, NDPC Chair warns. Link to story: facebook.com/share/p/18Tcgu…

NDPC proposes SADA return to drive northern development. graphic.com.gh/news/general-n…

Stakeholder consultation highlights need for policy continuity, effective planning. ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/…