Akufo-Addo only renaming Mahama’s projects – NDC

The government of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has been renaming the policies and projects started by the Mahama administration in order to take credit for those projects, Edward Acquah (Fayah), the Ekumfi Constituency Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has said.

According to him, the Planting for Food and Jobs programme launched by Mr Akufo-Addo is the brain child of former President John Mahama.

He revealed that programme was initially known as Modernising Agricultural Productivity to the Local Economy (MAPLE).

In a statement captioned ‘NPP government of Akufo-Addo and Bawumia’s penchant of stealing projects and initiatives of the NDC government of John Mahama’ released on Tuesday, August 29, Mr Acquah said: “The NPP has been engaged in redesigning or renaming of good policies, projects, initiatives and programs of the immediate past NDC government to deceive the good people of Ghana and also to avoid giving credit where it is due has been the modus operandi so far upon coming into office and examples abound. We recall President Akufo Addo launching the Planting for Food and Jobs programme in Goaso earlier this year, and the programme is to be run primarily on the back of a US$120 million (C$125 million) fund. The president in his SONA, indicated that his government had secured the funds for this programme which was yet another lie from him because of the following facts;

“In 2013, the Government of Ghana and the Canadian government began discussions on the design and modalities for the next phase of budget support programmes for Ghana. The Mahama administration, after extensive studies, decided that the sure way to food sustainability was to have a specific programme targeted at injecting capital at the district level to support agriculture.

“The Mahama administration developed a programme named Modernizing Agricultural Productivity to the Local Economy (MAPLE). This programme was approved by the Canadian government and a roll out date of 2015 was set.

“In 2015 however, there was a change in government in Canada and this led to a delay in the disbursement of funds for the programme as the new Canadian government sought to understand the terms of the arrangement.

“On the 25th of February 2016, the Canadian High Commission in Accra indicated to the Ghana Ministry of Agriculture that approval had been given for the disbursement of US$120 million (C$125 million) by the Canadian Treasury Board in support of the MAPLE project. A roll out date of March 2017 was then set between the partners to kick-start the programme. It is important to note that any serious student of governance would attest to the fact that no bilateral arrangement of this nature involving such technical detail can be completed in less than 40 days. It was less than 40 days of this #419NPP administration when Nana Akufo Addo mentioned this fund in address to Parliament on the State of the Nation.”

It added: “We in the NDC were elated to see yet another baby of President Mahama born. President Mahama's desire to redefine the economic structure of Ghana by vigorously pursuing an import substitution programme which saw a boost in local rice, sugar, vegetable oil and poultry production led to our first balance of payment surplus in 2016. For the avoidance of any doubt, Ghana earned more in exports receipts than we imported. However, the government of Akufo Addo, which is now synonymous with dishonesty, quickly changed the name MAPLE to Planting for Food & Jobs and launched it at Goaso in accordance with the Mahama administration's roadmap but refused to give credit where it was due.

“Similarly, the Youth Enterprises Support (YES) program also rolled on by the visionary NDC government of JM which Nana Addo has now renamed it as National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program (NEIP) among others, so the desperate attempt by this #deceitfulGovt not to acknowledge the immediate past NDC government for the Ekumfi Sugarloaf pineapple growing project which has given birth to this Ekumfi Fruit Processing Factory did not come to us as a surprise. We believe strongly that Ghanaians have also taken note of this dishonesty and they recall Prof Mills and JM giving credit where it was due for projects initiated by their predecessors that they completed.”