Another $360 Million? When Does the Well Run Dry?
A few years ago, I remember standing in line at a bank. It was one of those blazing hot afternoons — the ceiling fan was spinning but somehow doing absolutely nothing. I was there to ask for a tiny loan to top up my school fees. The lady behind the glass looked at my application, looked at me, and just shook her head. “Your account balance is too low.”
I think about that moment every time I see headlines like the one I just read: Parliament approves $360 million to support the 2025 budget. And I can’t help but chuckle — not because it’s funny, but because… well, where does the money keep coming from when the pocket’s basically empty?
Look, I get it. Running a country isn’t the same as me hustling for student loans. There’s big math involved, and borrowing is normal — to a point. But, in my opinion (and I may be wrong — economists, don’t come for me), there’s a part of me that wonders if we’ve gotten a bit too comfortable playing with money we don’t actually have.
The politicians will say, “It’s for development. It’s to stabilize things.” And sure, I want better roads. Good hospitals. Schools that don’t have kids writing exams on their laps. But I’ve noticed that every time we approve another huge loan, I don’t feel that “support” in my pocket. Do you?
Sometimes, at 2 a.m., when I’m scrolling through TikTok instead of sleeping (bad habit, I know), I see these videos of young people complaining about the price of waakye, transport fares, rent — everything climbing while salaries crawl. And I wonder: is this $360 million actually going to make next year’s budget feel any lighter for people like them? Like me? Like you?
Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I should even write this because, what do I know? I’m not in Parliament House, I’m not an economist. But here’s what I do know — debts don’t just disappear. They linger. They grow. They pass from one generation to the next like a family heirloom nobody wants.
It’s like living in a house with a leaking roof and instead of fixing the leak, you borrow more money to buy a new TV. Eventually, the rain comes in anyway.
I wish — really wish — I could say I trust that every cedi will be used wisely. But you and I know the stories. Overpriced projects. Ghost contractors. The potholes that get patched every six months just to keep someone’s pocket full.
So yeah — Parliament has approved another $360 million. Good for the budget. Maybe. But will it be good for you and me? For the kid standing in a hot bank queue one day, praying for a loan that won’t come because the country’s broke?
Makes me wonder — when will we draw the line between spending for growth and borrowing ourselves into a hole so deep we can’t climb out? And who’s really paying the price when that well finally runs dry?
What do you think — does more money always mean more hope? Or are we just adding zeroes to a problem we refuse to fix?