Yaw Opoku Mensah of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has criticised the government over suggestions that Ghana’s economic challenges could be linked to rising tensions and conflict involving partners United States and Israel against Iran, arguing that such claims are misplaced and amount to fearmongering.

Speaking on the matter, Mensah insisted that the overseas conflict has no direct bearing on Ghana’s economy and should not be used to justify domestic economic difficulties.

“The war has no bearing on us as a nation. Ghana is not at war, and no global crisis has ever economically derailed us,” he said.

“We do not expect President John Dramani Mahama and his government to use a distant conflict as an excuse for domestic incompetence or to justify higher fuel prices and economic difficulties.”

Mensah further alleged that pro-government communicators were deliberately amplifying fears of an impending crisis to psychologically prepare citizens for hardship.

“If the devastation of COVID-19, with total lockdowns and closed borders worldwide, was not accepted as the reason for our economic woes, why should a distant conflict thousands of miles away suddenly justify fear at home?” he challenged.

He also referenced the Russia–Ukraine conflict, which directly affected Ghanaian nationals abroad, claiming more than 50 Ghanaian lives, yet was not accepted as having legitimate catastrophic consequences for the local economy.

Mensah maintained that the current Middle East tensions are even less connected to Ghana’s immediate realities.

While acknowledging the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant share of global oil supply passes, he argued that potential disruptions and speculative projections of oil prices reaching $100 to $200 per barrel remain hypothetical and should not be used to alarm citizens.

Drawing comparisons with the administration of former President Nana Akufo-Addo, he said similar global oil price spikes did not translate into severe domestic shocks.

“These are purely speculative numbers that may only marginally affect grocery bills, transport fares and utilities,” Mensah said. “The conflict is far away. For Ghanaians, petrol stations are not being hit by distant missiles.”

He concluded by urging the government to prioritise local solutions instead of external blame.

“Stop using Middle East wars as justification for anything else. The war does not affect us,” he stressed.