FACT CHECK: Bawumia’s 47 claims on government achievements at Hogbetsotso festival true

At the 2022 Hogbetsotso festival in Anlo on Saturday 5 November 2022, the vice-president, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, spoke about the economy and the ongoing challenges that Ghana and other countries are facing.

He acknowledged the increasingly high cost of living, which, he said, has been driven by high costs of energy and food across the globe.

“What is clear is that the world is experiencing a global economic crisis. This crisis has been driven by massive increases in the prices of energy and food. This has resulted in accelerating inflation and cost of living globally and Ghana has been no exception.

“Between 2019 and 2022, inflation in Ghana has increased fivefold, inflation in Togo has increased sixteenfold, inflation in Senegal has increased elevenfold, inflation in Cote d’Ivoire has increased sevenfold and in the UK it has increased eightfold,” Bawumia said.

However, Dr Bawumia said it is important to note that notwithstanding these challenges, the NPP government, under the leadership of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, has undertaken many projects and made more social interventions “than any government in the Fourth Republic”.

It is these claims, roughly 47 of them, that we have fact-checked rigorously in order to pass verdict.

Of the 47 claims that Vice-President Bawumia made about infrastructure delivery, policy and social interventions, we found all to be true, with verifiable facts and data from agencies to back them.

Take a read

CLAIM: Created more jobs in six years than any other government in the Fourth Republic.

VERDICT: True. Data at the Ministry of Employment and Labour relations shows that over 400,000 public sector jobs have been created between 2017 and 2022. Of these, over 100,000 are teachers and 100,000 health personnel. Others were recruited into the security services and other government agencies.

CLAIM: More roads built than under any other government in the history of the Fourth Republic.

VERDICT: True. Data on the number of kilometres of road the Akufo-Addo government has constructed is truly unmatched by any government in the Fourth Republic.

For instance, the erstwhile NDC government constructed 581 kilometres of highway, 1,613 kilometres of feeder road and 2,442 kilometres of urban road, making a total of 4,636 kilometres of road in eight years under Mills/Mahama between 2009 and 2016.

However, data shows that under the leadership of President Akufo-Addo, between 2017 and 2022, the government has built 1,290.85 kilometres of urban road, 7,029.71 kilometres of feeder road and 3,366.99 kilometres of urban road, making a total of 11,687.46 kilometres of road in six years.

CLAIM: More interchanges constructed than under any other government in the history of Ghana.

VERDICT: True. For example, data from the Ministry of Roads and Highways show that the previous NDC government completed five interchanges between 2009 and 2016: the Kwame Nkrumah Circle Interchange, Ring Road, Kasoa Interchange, Giffard Road and Airport Hill.

The same data shows that between 2017 and 2022, the current NPP government has worked on 12 interchanges, with six completed, namely the Pokuase Interchange, Tema Motorway Interchange phase 1, Obetsebi Lamptey Interchange phase 1, Tamale Interchange, Suhum Interchange, and the East Legon
Underpass.

The ongoing projects are: the Nungua Interchange, Obetsebi Lamptey phase 2, Takoradi Interchange, Kpong Barrier and Savannah Interchange, Tema Interchange phase 2, and Flowerpot Interchange on the Spintex Road in Accra. The government has also just cut the sod for the new Suame Interchange in Kumasi.

CLAIM: More bridges built than under any other government in the history of the Fourth Republic.

VERDICT: Data by the Ministry of Roads and Highways, just as on roads, confirmd that the Akufo-Addo government had built more bridges across the country than any other government in the Fourth Republic.

CLAIM: Constructed more airports than any other government in the history of the Fourth Republic.

VERDICT: True (the new Tamale Airport, the vast expansion of Kumasi Airport, as well as the expansion of the Sunyani and Wa Airports).

CLAIM: More railways constructed than any other government in the history of the Fourth Republic.

VERDICT: True.

CLAIM: More classrooms constructed in basic (800) and secondary schools (2,500) than any other government in the Fourth Republic.

VERDICT: True. Data from the Ministry of Education shows that the Akufo-Addo government has built 800 classrooms for basic schools and 2,500 classrooms for senior high schools in six years – the highest figure by any government in the Fourth Republic.

The NDC government completed 28 E-Blocks, 672 classroms in senior high schools and 350 classrooms in basic schools. The current government has so far completed 29 of the uncompleted E-Blocks it inherited.

CLAIM: More fish landing sites constructed than any other government in the history of Ghana.

VERDICT: True.

CLAIM: More fibre optic cable (93% of the total) laid than any other government in the history of Ghana.

VERDICT: True. Data from the National Communications Authority confirms this.

CLAIM: More AstroTurf community centres built than by any other government in the history of Ghana.

VERDICT: True. There were only two public AstroTurf pitches in Ghana before the Akufo-Addo government. Now there are more than 80 across the country.

Not only bricks and mortar

Beyond infrastructure, the vice-president also made claims about what he described as “transformational policies” which have been introduced by the NPP government “for the first time in our history”. Our verdict continues.

CLAIM: Ghana has successfully issued a digital national ID card which provides a unique identity for all Ghanaians.

VERDICT: True.

CLAIM: For the first time in our history, Ghana has a digital property address system.

VERDICT: True.

CLAIM: For the first time in our history, Ghana has implemented Mobile Money Interoperability between telecommunication companies and between mobile wallets and bank accounts. This is a first in Africa and has made Ghana the fastest-growing mobile money market in Africa.

VERDICT: True.

CLAIM: For the first time in our history Ghana has implemented a universal QR Code payment system covering mobile wallets and bank accounts. This is the first in Africa.

VERDICT: True.

CLAIM: For the first time in our history Ghana has implemented a bankwide mobile wallet known as GhanaPay. This is a first in Africa and, probably, the world.

VERDICT: True.

CLAIM: For the first time in our history, any Ghanaian who has a national ID card can open a bank account using his or her mobile phone without going to a bank or filling any forms.

VERDICT: True (a number of banks provide this service).

CLAIM: For the first time in our history the Ghana Card can be used as a travel document to board a flight from outside Ghana to Ghana.

VERDICT: True.

CLAIM: For the first time in our history, over 80% of adults in Ghana have tax identification numbers, versus 4% in 2017.

VERDICT: True (data by the Ghana Revenue Authority proves this).

CLAIM: For the first time in our history, Ghana is using drones to deliver critical medicines and blood to remote communities. Ghana now has the largest medical drone delivery service in the world.

VERDICT: True.

CLAIM: For the first time in our history people can buy electricity units on their mobile phone at any time of the day or night and even from abroad.

VERDICT: True.

CLAIM: For the first time in our history, Ghana is implementing One District, One Factory – our government has facilitated the establishment of more factories than any other government since independence.

VERDICT: True (there has never been a countrywide industrialisation drive on this scale before).

CLAIM: For the first time in the history of the Fourth Republic Ghana has established an automobile industry, with vehicles from a range of brands, such as VW, Toyota, Nissan, Peugeot and Sinotruk being assembled in Ghana.

VERDICT: True.

CLAIM: For the first time in our history, Ghana has paperless clearing of goods at the ports.

VERDICT: True.

CLAIM: For the first time, have digitised the process of passport acquisition.

VERDICT: True.

CLAIM: For the first time in our history, Ghana has digitised the process of driver licence acquisition.

VERDICT: True.

CLAIM: For the first time in our history, Ghana has implemented the ghana.gov platform, a one-stop shop for public service delivery. So far 1,018 agencies have been registered.

VERDICT: True.

CLAIM: For the first time in our history, Ghanaians can renew their National Health Insurance Scheme membership from their mobile phones.

VERDICT: True.

CLAIM: For the first time in our history, Ghanaian students can apply for student loans without the need for a guarantor.

VERDICT: True (the policy has been launched, and students have started the processes for the next academic year.

CLAIM: For the first time in our history, Ghanaians and law enforcement can find out the insurance status of any vehicle on their mobile phone using the motor insurance database.

VERDICT: True.

CLAIM: For the first time in our post-independence history, the Government of Ghana faced a global health crisis (the COVID-19 pandemic) and earned global acclaim for the excellent management of the pandemic, with limited loss of life.

VERDICT: True. Ghana’s handling of the pandemic was widely acknowledged globally.

CLAIM: For the first time in our history, Ghanaians were provided free electricity for lifeline consumers for a year at the height of the COVID-19 outbreak.

VERDICT: True.

CLAIM: For the first time in our history, Ghanaians were provided with a 50% reduction in electricity tariffs for non-lifeline consumers for a year at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

VERDICT: True.

CLAIM: For the first time in our history, Ghanaians were provided with free water for a year during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

VERDICT: True.

CLAIM: For the first time in our history, the government has provided free wifi to most senior high schools, 42 colleges of education and 13 public universities.

VERDICT: True.

CLAIM: For the first time in our history, Ghanaian pensioners can obtain their SSNIT pension ten days after making an application.

VERDICT: True.

CLAIM: For the first time in our history, Ghana has implemented a Nationwide E-Pharmacy. We are one of a few countries in the world to have a nationwide E-Pharmacy platform.

VERDICT: True (te government has launched the E-Pharmacy service).

CLAIM: For the first time in our history, the government has implemented a One Constituency, One Ambulance programme.

VERDICT: True.

CLAIM: For the first time in our history, Ghana is implementing a One District, One District Hospital programme (Agenda 111).

VERDICT: True. The project, which has started, is building district hospitals in all districts without district hospitals.

CLAIM: For the first time in our history, we have facilitated the construction of an inland port in Northern Ghana.

VERDICT: True.

CLAIM: For the first time in our history, the government has established a Zongo Development Fund.

VERDICT: True.

CLAIM: For the first time in our history, childhood cancers are now covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme.

VERDICT: True.

CLAIM: For the first time in our history, we have established a creative arts senior high school.

VERDICT: True.

CLAIM: For the first time in our history, we are implementing world-class Stem education with Stem-focused schools and we have also established the first girls’ Stem school in Bosomtwe.

VERDICT: True.

CLAIM: We have increased the number of bilingual basic schools (English and French) from five to 50 across nine regions.

VERDICT: True.

CLAIM: For the first time in our history, we are implementing free technical and vocational education and training (TVET: 65,000 students and 139 schools have benefited) and have established the Ghana TVET service.

Ghanaguardian.com

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