President Akufo-Addo’s election two years as President was greeted with great enthusiasm, and high expectation. Many Ghanaians saw Akufo-Addo as a messiah who was coming to perform magic because of what he told them on his campaign platforms.
These high hopes were unsurprising. In spite of all the beautiful economic figures government claims has achieved, unemployment and poverty have gotten to an alarming point, businesses are collapsing. The result of the toxic combination of high joblessness and poverty rate, is the sharp drop in life expectancy.
According to the President’s own admittance, he promised the Ghanaian people that in 18 months, his administration would mostly focus on fixing security, the economy, sanitation, and rid the nation of corruption.
Two years latter and it’s important to assess if the President has measured up to his own words. The assessment would help us know why it is so hard for President Akufo-Addo to admit that he hasn’t measured up to the demand on his job.
It must be established that President Akufo-Addo did not inherit a country in tatters. Rather, on 7th January 2017,the day he was sworn in, President Akufo-Addp inherited a nation that was the second largest economy in West Africa, nation’s currency was the second most stable currency in the subregion, Ghana was rated the best in terms of human development index.
By the testimony of the World Bank, IMF and other respected financial institutions and experts, he inherited an economy rated among the fastest growing economies in the world. By the testimony of the World Bank, he inherited an economy projected to grow by 8 to 8.5 per cent because of the huge investment the Mahama administration made in the oil and gas sectors.
Also, on January 7, 2016, President Akufo-Addo inherited an economy that by the evidence of the world investment report, prepared by the Geneva-based United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, was among the best destinations for foreign direct investment in Africa.
He also inherited an economy with a stable currency. This is in addition to the huge foreign reserves which were handed over to the Akufo-Addo administration.
It is also a fact of history that within just two years of his swearing in as President, the Akufo Addo administration has negatively turned the table around in the most remarkable display of ineptitude and gross incompetence ever seen in modern political history, to such an extent that from among the fastest-growing economies, Ghana has entered into recession.
Because of the administration’s outmoded and Bawuvodooo economic, which has led to loss of jobs and closure of hundreds of manufacturing firms and small scale businesses, investors are leaving the place. The country has started experiencing unprecedented capital flight.
The Akufo-Addo administration will do well to explain why the US embassy declared Ghana one of the unattractive places in terms of doing business.
Again, Ghanaians may wish to note that when former President Mahama was tackling the decade old perennial power crisis, he did not blame or accuse his predecessors. He did what he was elected to do without abdicating his responsibility or making nauseating noise.
Today, it is sad that President Akufo Addo, who never offered help or advice, now take credit for Mahama’s achievement and exporting the excess power from the over 4000 megawatts of power Mahama added to our power stock.
Apart from these policy legacies, he also inherited
- Schools including Universities, midwifery schools,
- Hospitals including the district hospitals, the renovated regional hospitals, the teaching hospital, military hospital, Chps compound, mobile clinics and polyclinics
- Roads, bridges and interchanges including the Nkrumah and Kasoa interchange, the ongoing pokuase interchange etc
- Atuabo Gas, saving Ghana over Ghc 500 million annually
- New airports and renovated and expanded (modernization) old ones including the construction of terminal 3
- Establishment of the Exim Bank, stabilisation levy etc etc
THE STATE OF THE NATION 2019
In Transparency International’s latest report, Ghana is still ranked among the most corrupt countries in the world (2019). This is not a surprise as top officials in the current administration have been dogged by serious corruption allegations that have smeared the President’s reputation. The allegations include
-The Ghana Maritime Authority scandal
-The Bost 1&2 oil contamination and evaporation scandal
-The US$2.25 billion bond scandal
-The Ghana Lottery Authority scandal
-The $134 million Gabon pharmaceutical Company saga
-Kelni-GVG scandal
-The $1.42 billion National ID card contract
-Hawa Koomson Ghc 800,000 website installation deal
-Gifty Klenam $300,000 personal allowance for her shoes and clothes
-US$12 million Oslo scandal
-$12-million Drones deal
Banks are collapsing under this administration.
The President has crowded his administration with his cousins, kinsmen, clansmen, in-laws and business associates.
SECURITY
The average Ghanaian does not need any security expert opinion to realise that the situation of our security the last two years is the opposite of what candidate Akufo Addo and his cronies have relentlessly painted. The state of our security is terrible. Schoolgirls are being kidnapped, political opponents of the President are being terrorised by the President’s hoodlums operating under the guise of National security, journalists and high profile citizens were cruelly murdered, Ghanaians are now living in dear.
SANITATION
The President promised Ghanaians that he will make Accra the cleanest city in Africa. Filth has taken over Accra and contrary to what the President promised, Accra is now rated among the dirtiest cities in Africa.
BORROWING
President Akufo Addo and his Vice, Dr Bawumia, promised Ghanaians “borrowing free” governance. They accused the previous administration of excessive borrowing when projects implemented from the borrowed money were around to see (visible).
The current administration has borrowed more than Ghc 60 billion within two years. Not a singe project has been implemented from the amount. Government is spending less on capital investment compared to what the previous administration channelled into that area.
It’s unsurprising to discover that the President is surrounded by hordes of loyalists who feel compelled to paint him and his administration a more pretty picture than is true.
The only voice President Akufo Addo can afford to listen is that of self-serving praise singers and sycophants.
Not the voice of Transparency International, the IMF, the UNDP, the Amnesty International, blood and tears of victims of terrible act of violence, tears and shouts of the unemployed nurses, doctors and the sacked bankers.
Whether he accepts the failure of his administration or not, he set the bar as low as possible, and has fallen miserably low under it.
By: Andrews Krow
