Di economic crisis for Ghana don dey bite every aspect of life.
Despite goment assurance say tins go dey better, many pipo still dey struggle
Inflation wey be how much tins dey cost ova a period of time don dey move around 22 – 30 percent according to di Ghana statistical service.
But sabi pipo tok say dis figures no be di real situation for ground, for di life of pipo and for dia businesses.
Di statistical service don tok on Wednesday 10 July say di inflation don reduce from 23.1% inside di month of May to 22.8% for di June.
But for di citizens, dis na just numbers, di real situation dey for dia pocket.
Ghana dey under $3bn IMF programme – di monetary fund don release $1.2bn so far say make goment take support di economy wia dem claim say Covid 19 and di Russia-Ukraine war don scatter am.
Despite di assurance by di finance ministry, pipo still dey suffer – businesses don shut down, wia utility bills don go up; everitin just dey cost.
For foodstuffs, now pipo dey try find substitute for expensive vegetables and oda tins.
But for some young pipo, desperate times don dey call for desperate measures.
Na so dem begin to make some adjustment to dia everyday life.
1. Pipo don cut di number of times dem dey chop
In di past, na to get three meals to eat a day neva dey difficult, but now wit di cost of food and foodstuffs, many pipo now adopt formula for eating.
For young pipo like Christian Sowah, to dey find food chop two times a day na luxury.
Despite say im dey work for one of di state agencies, tins don hard as utility bills dey swallow am.
As a result, im gat 0-1-0 formula for food.
Im dey chop once a day. For dis formula, im go eat heavy food for lunch wey go sustain am till im go sleep.
“Bifor I don dey chop breakfast, lunch and supper ; but if I calculate di moni I dey spend on all dis food, a day I fit to spend up to 55 Ghana cedis ($4), but now as I buy lunch 20 Ghana cedis ($1.30), I no go buy food again.”
Christian add say wit im salary wia don dey di same for more than three years, im no fit to spend more.
“If I spend more moni for food, I no fit to get transport to work, so dis days I dey chop once a day.”
Many odas don dey di same situation wit Christian. Odas dey vary di formation from 0-1-0 to 1-0-0 (for dis, dem go chop heavy food for morning wia go take dem thru di whole day.
For dos wey don dey cook by diaserf, di cost of foodstuff dey kill dem.
Vegetables like tomatoes, pepper, garden eggs and okro don cost.
Two small tomatoes dey fit cost on average $1, a handful of pepper 32 cents same as garden eggs.
For food vendors, di quantity of food dem dey sell don reduce.
2. Pipo dey cut out protein for dia food
Di cost of fish or meat for average corner chop bar or restaurant dey cost at least $1.
Without $2, pesin no fit to get fish or meat for some places wia dem dey sell food.
Na so some pipo decide say dem no go buy protein for dia meals.
Maame Adwoa Sah dey sell boiled yam and palava sauce, rice and banku for di Madina market for Accra.
Im tok say some of di customers for di market dey buy rice, banku and yam without fish or meat.
“Dis days, when pipo come dem fit to buy yam or rice $2 without fish or meat. Even egg, dem no dey buy.”
Maame Adwoa add say sake of dis development im decide to dey prepare small proteins to add to im food.
“Wen di customers come dem dey complain say di food don dey cost too much, but no be my fault. Tomatoes and oda foodstuff don dey cost for dis market well well.”
Kweku Amoah na student, im tok say im favourite beans and plantain meal don dey affected also.
Bifor, im fit buy beans, plantain and avocado on top di meal, but now im just dey buy di beans without any additions.
“If I use $1 worth of beans – e fit to sustain me di whole day. I neva dey add plantain sake of dat be anoda cost. If I buy rice and palava sauce, I fit to dey eat without protein. Accra na stay by plan, if you no do am so, you go dey broke.,” Kweku add.
3. Pipo dey sell dia appliances and gadgets
Wit di way tins dey go, jobs dey scarce wia those wia gat jobs, dia salaries no dey fit sustain dem.
Samuel Aidoo (no be im real name) bin dey unemployed since 2020 wen Covid 19 don strike.
Im dey apply for jobs since but im no dey successful, na so im dey struggle from hand-to-mouth.
Wia aside di high cost of tins, di cost of rent dey kill young pipo.
Some landlords and home owners don dey collect 2 years advance bifor dem dey rent dia properties – contrary to di rent control act.
For Ghana, tenants for no pay rent advance of more dan six months, but on di ground, dat no be di situation.
Samuel Aidoo tok BBC News pidgin say im gat to sell im laptop to top-up moni wia im carry pay 2 -year rent advance.
“Since I no dey job, I hustle wia I raise some moni but e no reach wetin di landlord dey demand so I decide say I go sell my laptop.”
Im tok say “I don sell laptop wia I buy for 3,200 Ghana cedis $208 to somebody at $175 just to top-up for my rent in February dis year.”
4. Pipo don park dia cars dey use public transport, odas dey waka
Joshua Agomor bin dey drive to work until di price of fuel don begin dey rise every month.
Joshua tok say fuel price “dey increase almost every month na so I don park my car for house wia I dey use public transport.”
Sometimes im dey waka some of di distance also.
“E dey cost effect to use public transport from my house to di office, ibi less dan 15 Ghana cedis $1 but if I drive I fit to buy fuel $7 to dey go and return from work depending on di traffic.”
Di IT professional add say if im dey drive to work, im gat to leave di house bifor 06:00 hours and return afta 19:00 hours to avoid traffic, “all dis na stress on top di economic wahala.”
5. Pipo cut down on data and mobile airtime
One of di basic tins pipo dey do now be to reduce di data and airtime dem dey buy.
For those wia dey work for corporate offices, di company wi-fi be wetin dey help dem.
Outside di office, dem dey switch off dia data wia dem rarely dey buy airtime.
Di mobile networks always dey increase dia data tariffs and di airtime neva dey last.
Many pipo like Nat Antwi fit to buy data once a week dis days – unlike di past wen im dey buy data almost every two days.
“Chale di data cost mern, even if you buy data dis days, di service dey poor on top di face say e dey cost. So for me, I dey fit stay my workplace till late at night bifor I go house just to use di internet,” Nat explain.
As tins dey hard, pipo dey find oda ways to survive for di economy, those wey no fit to adjust don dey jakpa.
As long as tins dey dis way, di tin pipo tok for here say ‘Accra na stay by plan’, go be di only formula to survive – however you do am, na up to you.
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