By Jeremiah Nutsugah
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Okudzeto Ablakwa, has stated that the worst period of John Mahama’s government surpasses the best achievements of the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia administration.
In an interview on Channel 1 TV’s “The Talking Points” on August 26, 2024, he cited various reports to support his claim.
Ablakwa referenced the Corruption Perception Index, which indicates that corruption has reached an all-time high, and the Statistical Service Report, which revealed that many Ghanaians went to bed hungry last year.
He also mentioned the Afrobarometer Democracy Risk Report, where nine out of ten Ghanaians interviewed stated that the country is heading in the wrong direction.
Ablakwa criticized the NPP’s excuse that the COVID-19 pandemic is responsible for the economic hardship, pointing out that it was a global pandemic, not an epidemic, and that many countries in the subregion are not experiencing the same level of economic distress as Ghana.
He questioned why Ghana is the only country in the subregion undergoing a domestic debt exchange program, highlighting that neighboring countries like Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria have not been shut out of international financial markets or downgraded to junk status.
Ablakwa also recalled warnings from experts, including a former World Bank country director, who cautioned since 2018 that Ghana was on a wrong trajectory due to excessive borrowing by the finance minister.
He noted that the cumulative euro bonds borrowed by the current administration surpass those of all previous presidents in the Fourth Republic.