Convener of the #FixTheCountry Movement, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, has raised concerns about the persistent rise in food prices at restaurants, despite recent gains by the Ghana cedi against the US dollar.
In a post on his social media page, Barker-Vormawor highlighted what he sees as unfair pricing trends in the hospitality industry.
“Before the dollar went up to 16, most restaurants had food plates around 40-45 cedis,” he noted.
“Then in the forex crazy, when the cedis lost so much ground, most restaurants went to 60-80 cedis. Higher-end places went from around 120 to between 240 and 480 cedis.”
According to him, although the exchange rate has since improved, food prices have remained unchanged.
“The dollar came down but the food got stuck there. We are paying too much for food. And we need to do something about it,” he said.
Anticipating counterarguments, Barker-Vormawor dismissed calls for people to cook at home. “Please don’t tell me to cook at home. I don’t. And that employs another Ghanaian,” he stressed.
He also cautioned against cosmetic solutions to the problem, criticizing the idea of increasing food portions instead of addressing price concerns.
“And please when we are solving this problem, don’t come and tell me, the price will stay the same, but I will get an extra egg and one wele.”
Addressing President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo directly, Barker-Vormawor added: “Please Mr President, we are still doing 0-1-0.”
