“Ghanaians have not forgotten Mahama’s disastrous government”

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has declared that although John Dramani Mahama may think that Ghanaians have short memories, they have not forgotten the disastrous leadership to which the country was subjected under his presidency between 7 January 2013 and 7 January 2017.

President Akufo-Addo made this assertion as he addressed guests at the official launch in Cape Coast of the New Patriotic Party’s Election 2020 manifesto, Leadership of Service: Protecting our Progress, Transforming Ghana for All.

The president’s keynote speech, delivered in the auditorium of the University of Cape Coast’s New Examinations Centre, was by turns celebratory and scathing.

“I know that the NDC presidential candidate, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, believes and says often that Ghanaians have a short memory. And he must hold strongly to this belief, otherwise, I doubt he would have summoned the courage to be seeking another term after the disaster that was his presidency,” President Akufo-Addo said.

Technical knockout?

“Ghanaians may have short memories, but not short enough for us to have forgotten the broken-down freezers, irons and other household equipment, thanks to the five years of dumsor.

“Our memories are not short enough to forget that the economy under him was such a wreck that there was a ban placed on all recruitment into our public services.

“Our memories are not short enough to forget that our teachers taught for three years and were only paid for three months.

“Our memories are certainly not short enough to forget that he brought our entire financial services to near collapse,” President Akufo-Addo added.

Stunned by the economy

The president took another swipe at Mahama over claims the NDC flagbearer made recently, to the effect that the Ghanaian economy is being mismanaged by the Akufo-Addo government.

“I have heard him make the extraordinary claim that Ghana’s economy was in tatters, not because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but because of mismanagement. I doubt that he could recognise a well-managed economy even if it slapped him in the face,” Akufo-Addo said.

Thankfully, the president said, Ghana did not have to rely on the former president’s judgement and assessment of the Ghanaian economy.

“It is important to tell [Mahama], just in case there are others like him around, that Ghana is today in a position to be able to provide one hot meal for JHS students who are back to school today in the midst of a pandemic, to pay for six months the water bills of all Ghanaians, to subsidise the electricity bills of all Ghanaians for three months.

“Indeed, we thank the Almighty that the pandemic did not strike under his presidency, when there was no money in the national kitty to pay teachers’ and nurses’ allowances,” President Akufo-Addo said.

NPP 2020 Manifesto

The NPP’s 216-page manifesto for Election 2020 is set out in six parts. Part one – by far the longest section, at 133 pages – is titled “Accounting for Our Stewardship”. It focuses on promises made by the party in its 2016 manifesto and sets out how much has been delivered.

Part two considers the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact it has had on Ghana and the mitigating measures government has implemented so far. The national post-COVID recovery plan – the Ghana COVID Alleviation and Revitalisation of Enterprises (known for short as “Ghana CARES”) – is the focus of part three. Part four, “Beyond 2020”, sets out a plan for the way forward by consolidating the achievements of the NPP government.

Part five broadly looks at ways in which the country can speed up growth. It has two major sub-thematic areas, the first digitisation and the transformation of the Ghanaian economy and the second the role of the private sector in building accelerated growth. The sixth and concluding part focuses on the changes needed to achieve a Ghana Beyond Aid.

NPP 2020 MANIFESTO

Wilberforce Asare

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