President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo delivered his widely awaited statement on the state of the economy on October 30.
Among other things, President Akufo-Addo spoke about the factors that contributed to Ghana’s current economic condition. He then highlighted some of the measures his administration was taking to stop the decline and put the economy back on the route to growth.
During his lengthy discussion of the issue of currency depreciation, President Akufo-Addo cited a French proverb in an effort to prove his point.
He said: “Fellow Ghanaians, as the French would say, l’argent n’aime pas le bruit, to wit, money does not like noise, sika mpɛ dede.
“Where there is chaos, where there is noise, where there is unrest, you will not find money. If you talk down your money, it will go down. If you allow some unidentifiable person to talk down your money, it will go down,” he stressed.
The Twi version of the adage, “sika mp dede,” has gone viral on social media, with people making fun of it, studying it, and offering their own interpretations.