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Claim: The Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamale North, Suhunyi Alhassan Sayibu, has claimed that the government’s industrial growth over the past seven years has experienced a negative trajectory.
Verdict: Mostly False. Data from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) reveals that industry growth experienced negative rates only twice in 2020 and 2021, with figures of -2.5% and -0.5%, respectively. The remaining years have consistently shown positive growth, with the latest data from 2022 indicating a 0.9% increase.
Full Text
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamale North, Suhunyi Alhassan Sayibu, has claimed that the government’s industrial growth over the past seven years has experienced negative growth.
He claimed this on Metro TV’s Inside Pages on Dec. 9, 2023. The show focused on the feasibility of former President John Mahama’s 24-hour economic policy proposal.
During the show, the Tamale North MP said, “You and I will agree those seven years on, this government has messed up almost everything… Look at the industry today; they promised one district one factory, and the industry is growing at a negative.”
The claim can be found from 10:42 to 12:49 of the show. The show aired on television has received over 2,000 views on its YouTube account.
Verification
DUBAWA sourced data from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) to determine the claim’s veracity.
| INDUSTRY GROWTH (2017-2022) | |
| YEAR | GROWTH |
| 2017 | 15.6% |
| 2018 | 10.5% |
| 2019 | 6.4% |
| 2020 | -2.5% |
| 2021 | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 0.9% |
Source: Ghana Statistical Service (GSS)
Analysing the data from 2017 to 2022, it is evident that the overall industry growth trend has been positive, except for the years 2020 and 2021.
In 2017, the industry experienced a significant growth of 15.6%, indicating a robust expansion. Although the growth rate for 2018 decreased in relation to 2017, it remained positive at 10.5%, indicating sustained development. The positive trend continued in 2019 with a growth rate of 6.4%.
However, a deviation occurred in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a negative growth rate of -2.5%. The negative trend persisted in 2021, although to a lesser extent, with a growth rate of -0.5%, indicating a slight decline.
The data, however, showed a return to positive growth in 2022, with a rate of 0.9%. Given this, while the industry experienced a dip in growth in 2020 and 2021, the overall trajectory from 2017 to 2022 has been positive.
Conclusion
The claim that the industry growth over the past seven years has experienced a negative trajectory is mostly false.
