Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, the Executive Director of an economic, governance, and leadership think-tank, Kandifo Institute, has condemned a reference to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his home townsfolk as 'Akyem mafia' and 'sakawa' people.
The Bolgatanga Central Member of Parliament, Isaac Adongo, in a statement relating to the controversial Agyapa Royalties deal, accused the President of forming a families-and-friends business to capture the mineral resources of the state.

That did not seem to have gone that down well with the President and said "this name-calling and insulting seems to be a feature of Ghanaian public life; but sometimes we will hope that when things come out, people will comment on them."

The President at a meeting with the Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference at the Jubilee House on Friday, August 4, 2020, said identified groups and Ghanaians should condemn the comments.

He said he was 'very disturbed' by the ethnocentric tagging his ethnic group but also said, 'that is the kind of language we don't want in our politics.

"The comments made by my opponent [John Mahama] 'Ayem Sakawa' people I have not heard any public figure in this country comment on it. it is completely unacceptable. If I wake up to make such a comment about Northerners or Gonjas you can imagine the uproar that will be in the country. A former President of Ghana you can call a group of Ghanaians 'Sakawa' people and it involves the group of a sitting President," he added.

He said: "His statement has been passed without comments from groups. At the same time, we have been told to bring the politics of insults to an end. We need to focus on this matter in an even-handed way."

Palgrave Boakye-Danquah speaking on the recent development slammed Mahama for labeling some of the appointees responsible for the controversial Agyapa Royalties deal as 'Akyem mafias and sakawa boys'.

According to the leader of the policy think-tank, "No citizen in this country, nor ethnic group must be described in the manner in which Mr. Mahama, a candidate seeking votes from citizens and should understand leadership at the highest level to describe the good people of Akyem Abuakwa as sakawa".

He added: "Kandifo Institute expects that Mr. John Mahama would desist from such ethnic sentiments in his bid to be at the pinnacle of leadership in this country. As that would not be a good foundation for the good people of Ghana."