Personal Narrative: Growing Up In Ghana

Growing up in Ghana in the mid-nineties was a very challenging moment of my life. The West African country was recovering from an economic recession mainly attributed to series coup d’états that destabilized the economy and crippled most state institutions. These coup d’états, to an extent, left the country that once championed the emancipation of Africa in a deplorable state; a state of despair, hopelessness and economic hardship. The then government –National Democratic Congress – implemented strenuous public policies with the goal to place the country back on sound economic and social footing. I recall, one of the fiscal policies that had an enormous impact on living standards and businesses was the Valued Added Tax Act. This policy mandated
Prices of goods and services – including my favorite goodies – surged. This reminds me of an incident that occurred during this era, emphasizing my personal experience of the stunning price hikes. I once went to a grocery store to purchase an item. But to my utmost surprise, the size of the item was much smaller. The seller had intentionally decreased the size of the item to offset the additional cost incurred from the increment in taxes. Upon seeing the expression of disappointment and disbelief on my face like a map, the seller responded frustratingly, “Kotey, the NDC government has imposed VAT on everything; it is killing us.” I stood there stiff and speechless as a simple question run through my brain, “What is VAT and how does that concern me?” Since that day, I followed the implementation process of most public policies and pro-poor programs, trying to decipher the spinoff effects on citizens – especially in deprived areas –welfare. And I was, still I’m, fascinated of how these economic policies dictate the pace in local, regional and national economic development. Indeed, these practical experiences points to the genesis of my passion to study Economics. A passion born out of curiosity to understand how clearly outlined, well planned and carefully implemented public policies facilitate economic