You called Mahama incompetent but you can’t fix Ghana’s economy – Listowel to Akufo-Addo

The Executive Director of Good Governance Advocacy Group Ghana (GGAGG), Listowel Nana Kusi-Poku, has described President Nana Akufo-Addo as a monumental failure the country has seen at the presidency under the Fourth Republic.

Kusi-Poku, a leading member of the pressure group, Arise Ghana, criticized Akufo-Addo for watching Ghana’s economy collapse despite promising Ghanaians otherwise.

To him, candidate Akufo-Addo promised Ghanaians a stable fiscal space while in opposition only to be voted to power to dissipate public funds through a large-sized government that is alien to the people.

He said Akufo-Addo, just like criminals, adore slogans and funny nicknames to cover their bad deeds.

For instance, he noted the Akufo-Addo government has caused a financial loss to the state through “empty policies” beautified by slogans such as one constituency, one ambulance; one district, one factory; planting for food and jobs, and the like.

The programmes, he noted, did not yield results–the reason the country’s economy is not doing well despite the huge loans the government sought from the west.

Nana Poku said then opposition leader in 2016, Nana Akufo-Addo, “swindled Ghanaians with slogans and described then President John Mahama as an incompetent leader only to be elected to power to fail Ghanaians.”

Talking about the country’s debt stock and increasing inflation and lending rate, Nana Poku described the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) as "useless.”

Mahama focused on capital investment with his loans but you, Akufo-Addo who called Mahama incompetent, are now struggling to balance the economy, ” Nana Poku stated.

He made the statement on Original TV’s Amonyesem programme hosted by Samuel Huntor.

Listowel Nana Kusi-Poku said despite touting that he had the competent men to steer the affairs of the state, Akufo-Addo’s government could not use homemade policies to reduce hardship and inflation.

He said the Ghana Statistical Service has revealed all-time youth unemployment in its 2021 Population and Housing Census.

Aside from that, he pointed to high utility tariffs and soaring fuel and food prices and compared it to the time the NDC was leaving power in 2017.

Ghana’s Debt

Ghana’s ballooned debt is pegged over 100 percent to GDP.

Rating agencies have over the past 12 months reduced the country’s ratings below junk status over the government’s inability to balance the economy.

Despite demonizing IMF supervision, the Akufo-Addo government is now at the doorsteps of the Bretton Woods Institution for a $3 billion bailout for months.

The Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, has been on a begging spree in China to get the Asian country to forgive Ghana its debt after he led a wanton borrowing drive into unsustainable debt levels since 2017.

After Ofori-Atta’s failed attempts to get the country’s lenders to forgive Ghana its debts, the United States government has to intervene on Ghana’s behalf to beg for debt reduction as the country struggles with inflation.

Debt forgiveness is part of the requirements for the African country to get the International Monetary Fund’s balance of payment support.