Former President John Dramani Mahama has unveiled some of the action-plan he will accomplish if re-elected President in 2024.
The former head of state made these disclosures in an address to party faithfuls at the formal launch of his flagbearership bid ahead of the 2024 polls.
The event took place on March 2, at the Cedi auditorium at the University of Health and Allied Sciences in Ho in the Volta Region.
Below are 10 of the promises made by the former President:
Restore stability and inclusive growth to the economy. This we will do by bringing the various indicators under control to relieve Ghanaians of their suffering.
Strictly enforce prudence and responsibility in the management of public finances by cutting out waste and ostentation, which have become common place under this administration.
Restore faith in our almost collapsed financial system and embark on sweeping reforms at the Bank of Ghana. We shall actively pursue policies to ensure robust local participation in our banking, financial, telecommunications, mining, agriculture, agribusiness and manufacturing sectors.
Invest in productive sectors of the economy like agriculture, industry, technology, digitilisation and tourism to spur growth and generate jobs for the teeming youth who continue to lose hope by the day.
Operate the leanest but most efficient government under our fourth republic by reducing, significantly, the size of government to less than sixty (60) ministers and deputy ministers of state.
Bring to conclusion the constitution review process began by President Atta Mills including a review of the controversial article 71 to reduce the number of office holders, and remove the disparities in privileges and emoluments vis a vis the public and civil service.
The payment of ex-gratia to members of the executive under Article 71 will be scrapped.
End the chaos that now characterizes the Computerized School Selection and Placement System for BECE graduates. As a first step, we should allow students to only complete their applications for SHS after they receive their BECE results.
Investigate how public funds were expended and this includes the Covid-19 Audit and the findings from the Auditor-General’s reports over years. We must clean the Augean stables and rid them of the filth and
Re-introduce the hallmark of my previous administration – tolerance for criticism and the creation of a conducive atmosphere for the media to do its work without the fear of threats, harassment, and possible assassination.
John Dramani Mahama has been under fire from the New Patriotic Party (NPP), claiming that he is unfit to lead Ghana once more.
The NPP charged that the former President wrecked the economy during his administration.
On March 2, 2023, Mr. Mahama announced his candidacy for president at the University of Health and Allied Sciences in Ho, in the Volta Region, and attacked the Akufo-Addo-led administration for its poor handling of the economy.
The situation the former President said has led to the majority of Ghanaians fleeing the country in search of greener pastures.
“With the limited fiscal space, we are likely to inherit because of the mismanagement of the economy under NPP. There are many who say that my words, just before leaving office in 2016, that posterity will be my judge, have proven prophetic in the face of the disastrous performance of the NPP government and their harrowing dismantling of our country’s prospects. This government has been clueless and, in many ways, callous. We are saddled with debt, and we have been downgraded by every rating agency and inflation has gone off the roof, sending people into abject poverty,” Mr. Mahama indicated.
He added, “it should worry us deeply that the average young Ghanaian would grasp any opportunity to flee the despondent climate under which they live in favour of even the most menial jobs in other countries. We have always had our people going in search of greener pastures abroad, but the current mass exodus of active workers and professionals is profoundly worrying”.
Responding to this on Eyewitness News, the Communications Director of the NPP, Richard Ahiagbah said the former President cannot reverse the situation if given a second chance to rule the country.
He rubbished the former President’s claims saying, “people will always sojourn out of this country, when people go, they will come back. If he’s making that as a basis to show that he has the capacity to reverse it, nothing in his records shows that he can. There’s no proof to substantiate what he’s saying”.
“The statistics show that he has no capacity that he claims he has to make this economy work. He never grew the economy 1 inch when he had the chance to be President. He cannot talk about the economy, he cannot talk about people leaving this country. Now he wants to come again, we have to let him know that we kicked him out, and he’s no longer eligible by his performance”.
The NPP’s Communications Director said the former President has never managed an economy in a difficult time, hence his assertion.
“He [Mahama] has never managed an economy in a difficult time before, he has not managed an economy in COVID-19 before. What was the situation under his government?” he asked.
A law professor, Judge Abdulai, has advised Ghanaians to be “measured” in their optimism regarding political promises to repeal ex-gratia, which is ingrained in the 1992 Constitution.
Also a legal practitioner, Mr Abdulai said any president who promises to scrap ex gratia for Article 71 office holders will find the process very cumbersome.
“Scrapping ex gratia will be very difficult,” he said in an interview with Media General‘s Noble Crosby Annan on Thursday, March 2.
This comes in the wake of the promise by former President John Dramani Mahama that he will scrap ex-gratia when he gets the nod to lead this country again.
“The payment of ex gratia to members of the executive will be scrapped,” Mr Dramani Mahama announced when he launched his bid to be 2024 Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
“The necessary constitutional steps to take this will start in earnest in 2025. We will also persuade members of the other arms of government to accept its removal,” he assured.
But Mr Abdulai, who lectures at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), said the emoluments of persons entitled for ex gratia are not determined by a President but by the constitution.
“This is not a decision that is made by Parliament,” he added.
He said before an amendment is made, the entire constitution may need to be reviewed.
“For all of us who have hope, we should be measured in our hope,” he cautioned.
Mr Abdulai said a referendum will, for instance, need to be conducted to have this changed and so the scrapping will not rest with one president but “the entirety of Ghanaians will have to come together”.
Former President John Dramani Mahama has said the failure of the Akufo-Addo-led government does not offer him any kind of pleasure.
At the launch of his presidential campaign at Ho in the Volta Region on Thursday, he noted that “I’m not the kind of leader who derives pleasure from or can smile at my country’s failing, even the failing of my political opponent.”
According to the former statesman, there are many who have said his statement that posterity will be the judge of time has been realised as the country has been plundered to a state of crisis.
He noted that even in “the face of the abysmal performance of the NPP government, and their harrowing dismantling of our country’s prospect,” he will be a wise man who learns from the mistakes of others.
“As far as I am concerned, there is no vindication from the suffering of the Ghanaian people,” he added.
Former President John Dramani Mahama announced on February 28, 2023, through a social media post that he will launch his campaign for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer position on March 2, 2023, in Ho, Volta Region.
The event will take place at the Cedi Auditorium, located at the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHIA), and the theme of the launch is “Creating the Ghana we want together.”
Mahama will be contesting against three other candidates for the NDC flagbearer position. They includeDr. Kwabena Duffuor, a former finance minister; Kojo Bonsu, a former mayor of Kumasi; and Ernest Kwaku Kobeah, a 43-year-old businessman based in the United Kingdom.
The NDC began accepting presidential candidate nominations on February 22, 2023, and closed it on February 24, 2023. According to the Party’s timetable, submission and filing of nomination forms for the flagbearer position will take place from March 20 to March 22, 2023.
The vetting of aspirants will be conducted from March 27 to March 29, 2023. Aspirants who have issues with the vetting process will have the opportunity to appeal from March 30 to April 6, 2023.
The NDC’s presidential primaries are expected to take place on May 6, 2023. Parliamentary aspirants will be required to pay a GH¢5,000 nomination fee, and the filing fee is set at GH¢40,000.
The NDC is Ghana’s largest opposition party and will elect a flagbearer to contest the 2024 presidential election.
Former president John Dramani Mahama has accused adherents of the Danquah-Busia tradition of orchestrating the overthrow of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president.
He said that the Danquah-Busia tradition, out of which the New Patriotic Party emerged, collaborated with foreign operatives to oust Nkrumah in 1966.
According to Mr. Mahama, the revolt ruined Nkrumah’s vision for Ghana and the whole of Africa.
In a Facebook post on Friday, the former president made these comments as he remembered the 57th anniversary of the coup in 1966.
“57 years ago today, 24th February 1966, the Danquah-Busia political tradition conspired with external intelligence agencies to initiate Ghana’s first coup d’etat, which toppled the government of our first President, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
“This coup was achieved through a conscious and constant campaign of falsehood and calumny”, portions of Mahama’s post read.
He added that, “As a former President of Ghana who has also been at the receiving end of the Danquah-Busia tradition’s campaign of slander and sabotage, I can empathise completely with the quandary President Nkrumah found himself in”.
Ghana’s first president, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah
Mahama went on to say that “In 1966, I was a young boy still in primary school. But I remember highlights of the dark days that followed the February 24, 1966 coup”.
The former President used the occasion to urge Ghanaians to remain loyal to the country’s democratic path.
He also seized the opportunity to entreat African leaders to remain true to the tenets of democratic governance.
“As today marks 57 years of that coup d’etat, I call on all fellow Ghanaians and our patriotic security agencies and armed forces to mark this day as one of reflection and to remain loyal to the 1992 Constitution as we begin the task of rescuing our dear nation from the dark pit the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has plunged us into.
I further urge all Africans to give meaningful democracy a chance, the very reason for which I am presently here in Nigeria as Head of the West African Elders Forum on an election mediation mission, as the country votes on Saturday” the statement concluded.
On the matter, members of the Danquah-Busia tradition have consistently refuted the claims that they played a central role in Ghana’s first coup d’état.
Repeatedly, they have stressed that such assertions are false and should not be associated with the late Dr.J.B Danquah or the late Dr Kofi Abrefa Busia.
In one of such rebuttals a few years ago, the then Director of the Danquah-Busia Institute, Gabby Otchere-Darko took offense when a former Communication Minister, Dr Omane Boamah made that allegation on JoyNews.
The first Vice-Chancellor of the University of Professional Studies Prof. Joshua Alabi, has described the former president as the Messiah Ghana badly needs to steer her off the current crisis.
Prof. Joshua Alabi believes Mahama is a gift from God citing his experience as a former president and someone who is willing and available to lead the country again as president.
“With the crisis that we have today, experience counts and not just experience but someone who has done it before.
“We, and the good people of Ghana believe, this is the time that we need a Messiah and the Messiah is His Excellency John Dramani Mahama,” Alabi told press men at the National Democratic Congress (NDC) headquarters in Accra.
Alabi led a delegation that went to the office on February 22 to pick nomination forms for Mahama’s bid to lead the NDC into the 2024 presidential elections.
He said all internal competitors could not match up to the pedigree of Mahama even though he stayed away from mentioning names.
“The country needs a hand who knows almost everything, that is why Ghana needs an experienced leader who has done it before and is available and is willing, then we are lucky, he is a gift from God,” he added.
Mahama declares bid, picks nomination forms
Mahama’s formal intention to run for a third consecutive shot at the presidency was reported when a number of NDC MPs confirmed that he was going to contest.
On February 22, forms were picked on his behalf by Prof. Alabi and regional chairmen amid fanfare. Mahama is expected to address the media in due course to formally announce his bid.
Mahama’s political roots date as far back to the days of Ghana’s independence when his father served in the Nkrumah government.
John Mahama, a political thoroughbred
He is reputed to be one of the most thoroughbred politicians of the Fourth Republic having served from the local level (Assembly) through to becoming a Member of Parliament for Bole Bamboi on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress.
Mahama held deputy minister and ministerial portfolios under the Rawlings government before rising to become vice president under John Mills and president when he took over from Mills then won his first full term in 2012.
He is widely expected to contest for the presidency come 2024 as he seeks a final term in office on the back of two straight defeats to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in 2016 and 2020.
The Abossey Okai Spare Parts Dealers Association has refuted assertions that it urged former president John Dramani Mahamato run for president.
Some news portals across the country reported on February 21 that some four unions including theAbossey Okaispare parts dealers had visited the former president to petition him to run for president in the 2024 general elections.
Denying the reportage in a statement, the Association wrote that, “our attention has been drawn to a publication in some of the print media and on the radio that Abossey Okai Spare parts Dealers Association and some Union leaders have petitioned the former President ,His Excellency John Mahama urging him to contest for the Presidency in the 2024 general elections.”
The Association explained that the supposed executives of the Association that visited the former president are neither leaders of the group nor its members.
“We wish to state that those people who joined the group to meet the former President are not either the Executives or even members of the Abossey Okai Spare parts Dealers Association. It was some people from Abossey Okai who decided to join the group to meet the former President. And so, we are surprised that they paraded themselves as Abossey Okai Spare parts Dealers Association.”
“We wish to state that, Abossey Okai Spare parts Dealers Association is a non-political Association and will not embark on that action. Our office is open to every political party and that is the reason why in every election year, all the political parties troop to our office and have deliberations with us,” the statement added.
The Association further stressed that “we don’t dabble in politics and will continue to engage with every party in government to come out with policies that will have a positive impact on our business as it has always been.”
The Director of Communications for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagbah has responded to former President John Dramani Mahama on his comment that “President Akufo-Addo’s administration is not only indifferent in the fight against corruption – they are collaborators!”
Responding to him also in a tweet, Mr Ahiagbah said “At least President Akufo-Addo is clear about his incorruptibility. #Ghana”
Mr Dame wrote against the decision by the Auditor-General to publish the report on Covid expenditure.
Per Article 187(5) of the Constitution, Mr Dame explained, the Auditor-General is mandated to submit his report to Parliament to draw attention to any irregularities in the accounts audited?
The Auditor-General report stated that “During our review, we noted that senior management staff and other supporting staff of the Ministry of Information paid themselves a total amount of GH¢151,500.00 as COVID-19 risk allowance for coming to work during the lockdown.”
It further indicated that the Ministry of Health (MoH) entered a contract signed on 15 December 2021 for the supply of 26 Toyota Hiace Deluxe Ambulances valued at US$4,049,460.12 out of which US$607,419.02 was paid to vide PV No. IPF 22-007 of 2 September 2022 is to be delivered by 15 January 2022.
However, the report said, the ambulances remained undelivered as of 28 November 2022.
But the Attorney General in his letter said ” “I observe that the report of the special audit on the Government’s COVID-19 transactions has been published on the website of the Audit Service. In light of the constitutional provisions pertaining to the duty of the Auditor-General after the preparation of audit reports, I consider a publication of the COVID-19 audit report or indeed any audit report particularly when the same has not been either considered by Parliament or referred to a committee of Parliament, premature.”
Mr Dame has however justified the letter he wrote.
He stated that it is astonishing that CDD-Ghana disputes the propriety of the Attorney-General rendering legal advice to the Auditor-General, and construes same as “an interference with the independence of the auditor general”.
A proper reading of the Constitution, especially the provisions on the Public Services of Ghana, leads to the inescapable conclusion that the Attorney-General is fully vested with the constitutional function of giving legal advice to all the Public Services specifically listed in Article 190(1) of the Constitution, including the Audit Service, and such other public services as will be established by law.
Article 295 indicates that the public services listed in article 190 and other public services established by Parliament pursuant to its legislative powers, are part of the civil offices of Government.
In the face of the explicit constitutional mandate of the Attorney-General under article 88 of the Constitution as principal legal adviser to the Government, it is incomprehensible and rather illogical how an assertion may be made that the Attorney-General has no capacity to render legal advice to the Auditor-General.
Such an assertion can only be as a result of a simplistic and limited view of relevant provisions of the Constitution of Ghana.
A former president of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, has characterized members of the Akufo-Addo-led government as complicit in the corruption in the nation.
According to him, a letter from the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Dame, to the Auditor-General, Johnson Akuamoah-Asiedu, after a recently released report on COVID-19 expenditure in the country, is an attempt to gag the latter.
“The Attorney General’s letter to the Auditor General is clearly meant to silence him and create a conducive atmosphere for corruption to thrive,” he wrote.
John Dramani Mahama further stated that this action by Godfred Dame is an indication that the Nana Akufo-Addo government is a collaborator in corruption.
“President @NAkufoAddo’s administration is not only indifferent in the fight against corruption – they are collaborators!” he added.
Background:
After the Auditor-General released a damning Special Audit Report on its findings on the government’s expenditure of COVID-19 expenditures in the country since the deadly pandemic was recorded in Ghana, the Attorney General wrote a letter to the A-G.
In the letter, Godfred Dame asked Johnson Akuamoah-Asiedu to stop the publication of the report on the Special Audit of COVID-19 expenditures.
He further stated in the letter, based on Article 187(5) of the constitution, that the Auditor-General is rather mandated to submit his report to parliament, and in that report, draw attention to any irregularities in the accounts audited which is often concurrently published with the submission.
The Attorney General added that it was only after satisfying the constitutional requirement of submitting the Auditor-General’s report to parliament that the report might be considered final and relevant action might be taken thereon.
Muntaka Mubarak, the former Chief Whip of the Minority in Parliament, has succumbed to the National Democratic Congress’s (NDC) plan to reshuffle the Minority’s front bench.
The reshuffle affected him (Muntaka Mubarak), the then leader of the caucus, Mr Haruna Iddrisu and the Mr James Klutse Avedzi, also the then Deputy Minority Leader.
However, the Asawase MP who was unhappy with the decision says he has accepted it in the interest of the party.
In the Facebook post on Monday, February 6, the former Minister for Sports thanked former President John Mahama for intervening in the matter.
According to him, the intervention has brought an end to all the misunderstanding that surrounded the reshuffle.
“To all our supporters within and without. I had a lengthy meeting with my big brother, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, on Saturday evening over the parliamentary reshuffle.
“I want to first of all thank him for the words of advice and encouragement to me as a younger brother.
“His Excellency’s intervention has brought an end to all the brouhaha associated with the reshuffle.”
He thus urged the rank and file of the party to focus their energies towards election 2024.
“We are for the interest of our party NDC. We need to move on as a party and channel all our energies towards 2024 elections.
“I thank all our chiefs ,Queen Mothers Imams, supporters for your prayers and solidarity. I pray for Allah’s guidance in all our affairs. Long live NDC long live Ghana,” he concluded.
Last month, the NDC replaced Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu with Dr Cassiel Ato Forson.
Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, MP for Ellembelle also replaced Ketu North MP, James Klutse Avedzi as the Deputy Minority Leader while Kwame Governs Agbodza replaced Asawase MP, Muntaka Mubarak as the Minority Chief Whip.
This, led to some differences over what the aggrieved NDC MPs described as “lack of consultation.”
Meanwhile, the party leadership will later today meet with all the Minority MPs to introduce the new leadership to them.
Over 95 percent completed Mahama’s E-Block has been abandoned in the bush at New Edubiase Apagya in the Ashanti region.
The facility, which is yet to see the light of day, has been left to rot.
The almost completed project is at the mercy of the weather.
Weeds have taken over major portion of the facility. Years of neglect have led to the roof falling apart.
The development is a worry for residents in the area.
Chief of Apagya, Baffuor Gyankokor II believes the completion and operation of the project will bring enormous benefits to the area.
“I seem not to understand why the facility is not operational looking at the amount of money sunk into putting up such a project. We don’t have a senior high school in this area and for that matter, our children have to continue their second-cycle education elsewhere. At least, the operation of this school will open up this area and boost economic activities as well. Government should finish up the work and make the facility operational”.
At the time of the visit, some members of the opposition National Democratic Congress were seen clearing the weeds around the facility.
National Organizer of NDC, Joseph Yammin said they will go around the country to protect the legacy of the party.
He chastised the NPP for neglecting the educational facility.
“Since 2017, nothing significant has been done to complete the project. It’s even difficult to identify the building from the roadside. So since it’s our legacy and the NPP is adamant about completing and making it operational, we will continue to protect the facility from further rotting away. We will see to the completion of the school as soon as we return to government”
Until work resumes on the project, the facility will continue to rot.
A Former Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Koku Anyidoho believes that the latest comments by the National Chairman of the NDC Johnson Asiedu Nketia on why the changes to the Minority Leadership, is implicating the Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin for being the brain behind the action.
Mr Asiedu Nketia has stated that the NDC cannot accept a situation where New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members of Parliament cooperate with Speaker Alban Bagbin when NDC lawmakers are not doing same even though Mr Bagbin is from the NDC.
Addressing the NDC UK/Ireland Chapter during a visit to London after accompanying former president John Dramani Mahama for a public lecture engagement at Chatham House, Mr Nketia said “My priority in Parliament is to see our parliamentary caucus working together and also cooperating with the Speaker of Parliament. Why did we struggle to get an NDC person elected as a Speaker of Parliament?
“There are certainly some advantages and those advantages can be tapped into when your leadership is cooperating with the speaker. So we cannot have a situation where NPP is cooperating with the speaker and our NDC leadership has challenges with the speaker and if you are given a party whose leadership in Parliament is not working together, what will you do? You make the changes or you resign and I am not about to resign.”
Earlier, Mr Asiedu Nketia explained the decision to make the changes saying, that the key topics that come up for debates lately centre on the economy, energy and infrastructure.
To that end, he said the party felt it necessary to get their best men who are on top of these issues forward.
He told said on Tuesday, January 24 that “The debates and the other discussions will focus on the economy so you need to put your best man in the economy forward, that is what we have done.
“We also looked at energy. These petroleum and electricity challenges and so we needed to settle on Kofi Armah Buah, our former Energy Minister to be the deputy minority leader and then the other area is infrastructure, Kwame Agbodza being our man in infrastructure should play a key role. So that generally is what informed the changes.”
Commenting on this, Mr Anyidoho tweeted that “listen to Asiedu-Nketiah making a complete nuisance of himself in London, as he tries without success to disengage from the mess he has sunk himself in.
“He is implicating Speaker Bagbin – as being the brain behind the silly attempt to forcefully remove Haruna and co. He is hot.”
Mr Anyidoho added “What level of co-operation is he talking about? We know Bagbin put Mosquito on the Parliamentary Services Board (PSB). Is it because Haruna and co are refusing to ‘co-operate’ for dirty deals to be done that’s why they want to change and bring more pliant people to manipulate?”
“In a little under six weeks from today, Ghana will mark sixty-six (66) years of nationhood. Far from being an occasion to celebrate independence and the successes and achievements of nationhood, we will mark this day under the yoke of the worst economic situation in decades.
“We are currently bankrupt and burdened with national debt we are simply not able to pay. You may have learnt over the past few weeks that the Ghanaian government has defaulted on servicing of both external and domestic debt.
“There is currently a huge uproar over a controversial debt restructuring programme under which the middle class of Ghana could be wiped out if plans to have them forfeit proceeds of government bonds on which they rely for investment and sustenance are followed through.
“In absolute terms, up to about six (6) million people could be deprived of their life savings and investments. Ghana’s banking and financial sector could also be under threat of insolvency if no suitable adjustments are made to the debt restructuring plans.,” the former President said.
He also called for dialogue on the debt exchange programme stressing he was not against it.
“I am not opposed to debt restructuring. What has been the contention is the lack of dialogue and consultation with the debt holders on the domestic side. I know that negotiations are taking place with the bondholders on the external side but not the same treatment on the domestic side.
“I have been an advocate for dialogue. Before this whole crisis started, I advised the government and said they should hold a national dialogue on the economy, give us the state of the economy and let everybody understand and after that seek broad consensus behind the economic programme. But this was never done and what we expected will happen, happened.”
A former deputy secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Koku Anyidoho, has encouraged former president Mahama to defend himself against the charge that he was partially responsible for the change in Minority Caucus leadership.
The largest opposition party has made changes to its leadership in Parliament with the appointment of Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson as Minority Leader.
The party has also appointed MP for Ellembele, Kofi Armah as Deputy Minority Leader and Adaklu MP, Governs Kwame Agbodza as the new Minority Chief Whip, respectively.
But the party’s latest appointment is clearly very unpopular among the NDC faithful, especially the Minority Caucus, with many of the MPs claiming they are shocked by the move as they were not consulted. Some have proceeded to file a petition asking the party to rescind the decision.
The National Chairman, Asiedu Nketia, General Secretary, Fifi Kwetey and ex-President John Mahama have been accused of being behind the shakeup, an exercise some have described as a coup that will cause huge disunity among NDC MPs and could also affect the party’s electoral fortunes.
Commenting on the issue in an interview on Ghana Kasa show on Kasapa 102.5FM/Agoo TV Friday, Koku Anyidoho urged the former president not to remain silent over the allegation leveled against him.
“What will bring finality to this matter is that the ex-President must speak, he ought to clear his name. He shouldn’t put out a statement on Facebook or Twitter. Ex-President Mahama, we want to hear your voice on this matter which portends a disaster for the party. What is happening within the NDC is apocalyptic chaos, cataclysmic and the ex-president has been accused of being partly responsible, hence he must certainly speak.
“Ex-President Mahama is a member of the Council of Elders of the NDC and his name together with that of Asiedu Nketia and Fifi Kwetey has been mentioned specifically in relation to this matter. He cannot remain silent. The two are talking, they won’t change their mind and the chaos in the party is escalating. The ex-President is the only one who has not spoken, he ought to make his voice heard. It is very important that he speaks to clear his name.”
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) General Secretary, Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, has stated that the party sought advice from former president John Dramani Mahama before opting to alter the leadership of the party in parliament.
Describing it as an apt decision that would inure to the long-term benefits of the NDC party, Fifi Kwetey said that contrary to claims that some key persons were not consulted over the decision, they actually did.
According to a report by myjoyonline.com, the NDC General Secretary explained that John Mahama was informed and he is aware of why there was the need to make those changes.
“This decision was taken after wide consultation. If you look at the apex leadership of the party, that consultation was done. In terms of parliamentary, the group that is widely consulted, that consultation has been done.”
“What needed to be done about this reshuffling was done and the people duly consulted. All the key leaders have been consulted. The former President, Mahama was consulted and his views were duly reflected. The new and old leaders were informed and consulted,” he said.
In a release signed by Fifi Fiavi Kwetey on Tuesday, January 24, 2023, it stated the new changes that had been made to the leadership of the Minority in parliament.
Replacing Haruna Iddrisu, who has been Minority Leader since 2017, the NDC named Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, while Mohmammed-Mubarak Muntaka, who was the Minority Chief Whip, has been replaced by Kwame Governs Agbodza.
Emmanual Armah Kofi Buah will now be the new Deputy Minority Leader, replacing James Klutse Avedzi.
The average performance of the local currency has been one of the finest in previous years, he claimed, despite the cedi being under pressure.
“External factors have been the main cause of the cedi’s pressure, as we have witnessed. The average performance of the dollar has actually been among the greatest in recent years, notwithstanding the high volatility seen this year, according to Ken Ofori-Atta.
View the complete article written by dailyguideafrica originally on July 19, 2018
The cedi hit a record low in May and June this year touching GHC4.8250 to the dollar.
Presenting the mid-year budget review before parliament on Thursday, 19 July 2018, Ofori-Atta said the depreciation of the cedi in the first six months of 2018 has been the best since 2012.
He said: “We have seen the cedi come under pressure primarily due to external pressures. In fact, aside from the strong volatility recorded this year, the average performance of the dollar has been one of the best in recent years.
“A further interrogation of data from the Bank of Ghana showed that the depreciation of the first-half, six months of 2018, has been the best since 2012. It is instructive to note that from January 2018 to June 2018, the depreciation of the Ghana cedi against the dollar was 2.4% as against 17.2% in 2012, 3.6% in 2016, 3.7% in 2017.
“If this is anything to go by, it means that the 2018 performance of the Ghana cedi is likely to be better than even the 4.9% we experienced in 2017 which was an all-time low compared to the four years of the Mahama administration.”
Between theNational Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), to be politically accepted on any regional level in the country, is a big deal.
But even more specific and significant for these two leading political parties in the country are what kind of numbers or voter turnouts they religiously receive from these regions, collectively.
As is widely known or accepted, the people of the Volta Region have historically always warmed up towards the NDC more, just as the Ashanti Region does for the NPP.
In more specific terms, these regions have become unconventionally known as the ‘world banks’ of these political parties. And rightly so, they have been for many years.
For instance, in the Ashanti Region, out of the 46 constituencies in the region, the NDC currently only has 4 seats to its name. That number has remained the highest number of seats the NDC has had in the region since 1996.
In the Volta Region, until 2020, the NPP had never won a seat. Currently, the tally is 17 to 1 seat in the region for the NDC and the NPP respectively. Previously, since 1996, the NDC had always won all the seats in the region (16 seats in 1996, 15 seats in 2000, 15 seats in 2004, 15 seats in 2008, 18 seats in 2012, and 18 seats in 2016).
Let us not forget also that the founding fathers of both the NDC and the NPP have formed a great part of why there is such a voting pattern for their parties in both the Volta and Ashanti Regions. Jerry John Rawlings of the NDC hails from the Volta Region, while the Danquah-Dombo-Busia trio of the NPP are predominantly from the Ashanti Region.
Could the narrative be taking an interesting twist, or turn, or direction? Well, it may depend on how you take a look at it.
And it would have been a fairer assessment if this was with respect to both regions but interestingly, the bus seems to be stopping more with the Volta Region.
It all started with the conversations on who has done what, and who has done more or not for the region. Ordinarily, that should have been an easy pass for the NDC, who are more preferred in the region, but some questions have arisen on whether or not they actually deserve such a comfortable acclamation.
What exactly did Mahama do for Volta Region? – Obed Asamoah asks:
As the NDC, just as the NPP, prepares to elect a new flagbearer to lead it into the 2024 general elections, a leading member of the National Democratic Congress, Dr Obed Yao Asamoah, has become one of the people to draw in this whole ‘what have you done for the Volta Region’ conversation.
He has asked for answers from former President John Dramani Mahama on exactly what he has done for the Volta Region.
He questioned what the 2020 flagbearer of the party did for the region that is considered the stronghold of their party, while he was in political office, and for which reason he would seek their votes again to lead the NDC into election 2024.
According to Dr. Asamoah, Mahama’s failure to establish tangible developmental projects in the Volta Region resulted in residents voting against the NDC.
Supporting his claim, Dr. Obed Asamoah said the evidence can be seen from how much, in terms of numbers, the percentage of voter turnout from the region in the 2020 elections were, as compared to those of his predecessors; the late John Evans Atta Mills and the late Jerry John Rawlings.
“Vote Region is supposed to be the World Bank of the NDC. What exactly did Mahama do for the Volta Region?
“Remember in the last election, he did not get the kind of votes Jerry and the others were getting; 80, 90 percent (in presidential elections),” he said.
But then something that had happened a few months earlier seems to lend support to the questions being posed by the NDC stalwart.
In November 2022, during the 60th anniversary of the Hogbetsotso Za of the Anlo people, the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, made an appearance upon an invitation.
During his address, he courted the anger of residents present, becoming a victim of a booing incident targeted at the presidency, after he started making statements about the achievements of his party, the NPP, in the Volta Region.
As Agbotadua Kumassah, a member of the Hogbetsotso Planning Committee explained later, the people gathered at the grounds of the event started getting agitated when the vice president started talking about the economy.
He explained that the people, being well-aware that some of the things he was saying were false, started to boo at him.
“When he entered the economic situation, that is when the problem started. He mentioned, among others, that they built more airports than any other government, they built more roads than any other government and the people who were there did not see the roads, the airports, the roads he was referring to.
“So, that brought some agitation and it became very difficult to control the people because what he was saying, none of them happened in the area,” he explained.
Agbotadua Kumassah also explained that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s explanations on the government’s works in the digitization field, compounded the anger of the people, leading to them booing at him.
But how true or not are the things he said about what they had been doing?
NPP’s development feats in Volta Region evident – Makafui Woanya:
Being the man at the helm of things in the region for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Makafui Woanya, the regional chairman, has said countless times that his party has been able to perform creditably in the region albeit not so welcomed politically.
He explained in a graphic.com.gh report on January 5, 2023, that the NPP government has been able to revive and perform remarkable progress in some key infrastructural development projects in the region.
Some of these, he mentioned, are the steadily progressing Eastern Corridor Road Project, which is nearing completion; and the ongoing Southern Sector Water Systems Extensions Project.
“The University of Health and Allied Sciences, which the NDC is always quick to claim as their baby, is seeing massive infrastructural expansion,” he explained.
NPP drew its biggest strength from the Volta Region:
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has not been left out of the narratives or claims of what each party has been doing in the Volta Region.
In August 2020, the president said that the NPP considers the Volta Region as a “hallowed ground” that is symbolic of its struggle during the days of the party’s formation.
He added that history had even confirmed that the region had endorsed the NPP, and served as a place of refuge for its political fugitives during its darkest days, and for which reason the party can never discriminate against them.
“It was here in this region that people were most passionate about the political tradition. It was from here that the first people had to flee into political exile after independence, and it was in this region that many chiefs had to flee into political exile, and some died there.
“Many people forget that when J.B. Danquah, the first in the trinity of the Danquah-Dombo-Busia political tradition contested Kwame Nkrumah for the presidency, on Ghana becoming a republic in 1960, Danquah did not win in his home constituency in Akyem Abuakwa.
“But he won in two constituencies, one is right here in Anlo and the other is Ho West. If there was a little brittle tribal bone within my makeup, which there is not, I would not choose the Volta Region as a target. History would not allow me,” he said during a durbar of chiefs of the Anlo State at Anloga, during a working tour of the area.
John Mahama answers questions about what NDC has done for Volta Region:
Dr. Obed Asamoah’s questions have however not been left hanging because like a premonition, the former president, John Dramani Mahama, had touted his achievements in the Volta Region in 2021.
So, two clear years before such a question would be posed, the former president had already spelt out some of the achievements he had made in its ‘world bank.’
Among the tall list of things he said his government had achieved, were in educational infrastructure, health projects, roads, water and sanitation, among many others.
And much later, while speaking at a grand durbar to mark the climax of the Asogli Yam Festival in Ho, President John Mahama lamented the number of abandoned projects in the region, assuring the people that the next NDC government would complete them all.
“Projects started by the NDC have been abandoned and others that are to be completed in the region are being done at a slow pace. For some of the projects, this government asked contractors to stop work.
“But I make a commitment of the NDC that, God willing and thanks to your votes, in 2025, all these projects will resume,” he assured.
Volta must carry NDC as a religion – Fifi Kwetey:
Being the newly-elected General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Fifi Kwetey, who is also the former Member of Parliament for Ketu South, appears to have a strong say on whose side the Volta Region should stick with.
In a GNA report of Thursday, January 12, 2023, Fifi Kwetey said the region must cement its place as an unmovable bastion of the NDC.
Admitting that the region’s hold as the fortress of the NDC has weakened in recent times, also because indigenes have become increasingly discouraged from identifying with it, he urged them not to lose sight of the fact that the NDC is a party birthed from their backyard.
“Volta is the region where saviours of the nation come from as far as this country is concerned but we need to know who we are, and somehow, we know who we are, and we need to start appreciating who we are.
“Volta must appreciate NDC and back it no matter what. It should become like a religion. We need to let our people appreciate that this is what we are. And I believe if we knew who we were, the situation where the love for this party would start dwindling in this region should not happen,” he said.
The general elections of 2024 is less than 2 years away and although both the NDC and the NPP have each successfully elected new party executives, there are still a few major political hurdles to surmount before the big day in December 2024.
New flagbearers and the election of parliamentary candidates that will represent the parties at the constituency levels in the country will solidify the preparedness of each side of the political coin towards the general polls but it cannot be lost on anyone that with the historic breakthrough that the NPP has made into the Volta Region by winning its first ever seat in parliament, the battle lines are surely drawn.
The Volta Region will play a central role in the elections and whoever emerges the winner will have to command a lot of influence from this region.
Ghanaians have been encouraged by former President John Dramani Mahama to be hopeful in 2023.
Despite the economic setback the nation experienced in the previous year, he claimed that Ghanaians “cannot give up on our dear homeland Ghana” in the face of the sacrifices and austerity measures that 2023 will bring.
“As we face the future with fortitude, let us remember the solemn words of the hymnist, Johnson Oatman Jr, when he urges us to Count Our Blessings and Name Them One by One. We have been fortunate to survive as a nation and are lucky by the grace of the Almighty to be alive to see the dawn of a new year,” he said.
He is optimistic that as long as Ghanaians have life, there will be ample opportunity to “be better versions of ourselves and work even harder towards salvaging our dear nation from the avoidable abyss into which she has been plunged.”
“May this new year open the pathway and bring us to the cusp of building the ‘Ghana We Want’— a Ghana of opportunities for all and one in which our individual and collective aspirations are achieved. I wish you all, my fellow countrymen and women, a very Happy and Prosperous New Year,” he shared.
NDC’s Communications Officer, Sammy Gyamfi, has tied the knot.
It is reported that he married one Irene Amankwaa Karikari.
There is little information on Mr Gyamfi’s newly weded wife, but reports have it that just like Mr Gyamfi, Irene is a lawyer as well as a politician who works with the NDC.
Per details on her Facebook account, it is recorded that the said Irene hails from Sunyani.
Information on her parents, education and professional life is currently unknown to the media.
If she indeed got married, Irene Amankwaa Karikari will now go by the name, Mrs Irene Gyamfi.
Former President John Dramani Mahama has hailed Ghanaians for their contributions at the recently concluded National Democratic Congress (NDC) Delegates Congress.
Mr. Mahama also commended Ghanaians for responding to his appeal and helping the largest opposition party raise some GHC 1,083,000 in donations in 12 days to assist in hosting its 10th National Delegates Congress.
In a Facebook post on Monday, December 19, 2022, Mr. Mahama said: “I wish to express my appreciation to all donors who helped us make up the shortfall in our budget for the Congress.”
He noted that “this is a demonstration of the love Ghanaians generally and members of the NDC have for our party and the worthy cause we are embarking on.”
Mr. Mahama solicited funds to help with the party’s 10th National Delegates Congress, held on Saturday, December 17, 2022, where the NDC elected a new set of national executives for the party.
The former president, through social media, invited 500,000 willing Ghanaians, NDC supporters, sympathisers and friends to donate a minimum of GHC 10 each to help the NDC fund the congress.
Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, the new Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has described his election as the leader of the Party as “a call to duty.”
“Sunday’s event indicate that the NDC is not done with me yet. I see this election as a call to duty; the duty is enormous,” he said when he delivered his victory speech on Sunday morning to climax the Party’s National Executive Elections.
Mr Nketiah, who had served as General Secretary of the NDC for 17 years, dethroned Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, who became the Party’s Chairman in 2018, but lost his re-election bid.
Mr Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, a former Propaganda Secretary of the NDC is now the new General Secretary.
Mr Joseph Yammin, a former Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister, also won the National Organiser contest.
While thanking the delegates for the confidence reposed in the new National Executive Members, Mr Nketiah said his foremost task would be to unite the rank and file of the Party for victory in the 2024 parliamentary and presidential elections.
“This is a victory for the NDC and that their defeat(losing candidates) is not a defeat in the actual sense but an indication that the Party needs them to serve in other positions,” he said.
He described the Party’s National Executive Congress as an election to “regain the independence of this country,” adding: “We are prepared to sacrifice everything, including our lives to ensure that the country is rescued.”
Former President John Dramani Mahama congratulated all the new executives and commended the Party’s delegates for their sacrifices and efforts to the progress of the Party.
“I believe the delegates have the best wisdom and they have told us what they want. It is our duty to work with the blueprint,” he said.
Mr Mahama urged the new executives to “cut their celebrations short” and set to work immediately.
“(Election) 2024 has the highest stake and the executives must understand the responsibilities entrusted on their shoulders,” he said.
At the recently concluded National Delegates Congress of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), held in Accra, former president John Dramani Mahama made an effort to appease all losers who ran for national executive positions in the party.
There is space for everyone in the party to fulfill their contribution quota, according to Mr. Mahama.
He claimed that nobody will be left out and they shouldn’t be dissatisfied.
Mr. Mahama urged winners to exercise moderation in their celebrations as the national executives who had just been elected were sworn in.
He also urged them to reach out to losers and involve them in whatever processes they embark upon.
“This celebration must be very short. We must cut it short and get to work immediately. As I said, we are all the winners.
“For those who were elected, we must be gracious in victory and for those who have lost, let us understand that there is a lot of room under the umbrella for everybody,” he said.
The party organised its 10th National Delegates Congress to elect its new executives on Saturday, December 17.
Delegates of the party converged at the Accra sports Stadium for the exercise.
Some 9,200 delegates from the 276 constituencies took part in the exercise.
At the end of the contest, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketiah won the National Chairman position, beating his ‘good friend’ and incumbent chairman, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo.
Former president John Dramani Mahama has instructed the National Democratic Congress’s (NDC) newly elected national executives to get ready to work right away.
Mr. Mahama described the 2024 general election as crucial and said the difficult task ahead demands the executives’ undivided focus while carrying out their mandates.
Delivering a speech at the just-ended national congress, the 2020 presidential candidate of the NDC said “We must cut the celebration and set to work immediately.”
“These executives have been elected by the delegates to serve a mandate until 2026 and it is going to be a very important mandate because a most critical election with a higher stake is due in 2024 and these executives are going to oversee it.
“I believe they understand the responsibility that has been thrust on their shoulders. So this celebration must be very short. We must cut the celebration and set to work immediately,” he stressed on Sunday morning.
Further urging unity following the internal elections, Mr. Mahama galvanized both election winners and losers to take part in amicable activities.
He claims that there is space under the umbrella for anyone.
“We are all the winners, but those who were elected must be gracious in victory and those who have lost, let us understand that there is a lot of room under the umbrella.
“The party might be asking them to serve in other capacities and we are all going to work together to ensure that those who were not elected have a role to play in the victory of 2024,” he noted.
Former President John Mahama has arrived at the Accra Sports Stadium, where the NDC Delegates Congress is being conducted.
Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, Mr. Mahama’s running mate for vice president in the 2020 election, as well as a few prominent delegates, were present.
He made his way around the stadium greeting delegates and party supporters before they took their seats.
Mahama is expected to address the conference as part of the proceedings.
The Conference which is under the theme, ‘Rallying for Victory 2024’ is being attended by over 9,200 delegates who are expected to be from 276 constituencies.
The National Chairman hopeful, Johnson Asiedu Nketia and other party executives are also at the event.
The National Communications Director for the opposition National Democratic Congress, Sammy Gyamfi, has denied being the owner of a multi-million dollar property in East Legon Hills.
Sammy Gyamfi was recently in the news for reportedly acquiring a fleet of cars and building the said mansion in the plush East Legon Hills area.
Some of his critics have questioned his source of income following the report.
But speaking in an interview on Onua TV, Sammy Gyamfi denied the reports.
“I am not the owner of any of those houses…” Mr Gyamfi said in an interview on Accra-based Onua TV on Wednesday morning (Dec. 14, 2022).
On the issue of him owning a fleet of cars, Sammy Gyamfi said he only owns a single Toyota Land Cruiser V8, which was gifted to him by an admirer of former President John Dramani Mahama.
The national communications officer said whiles has been a benefactor of many benevolent persons, he has never been a thief.
George Opare Addo, the NDC’s re-elected National Youth Organiser, has been quoted as criticizing Sammy Gyamfi over the alleged mansion.
Opare Addo, who was calling out Sammy Gyamfi for openly campaigning for his competitor in the party’s recently held youth elections, questioned his revenue source.
Meanwhile, former President John Dramani Mahama has called for a truce between the two party officials, who have been engaged in a series of media spats.
The General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah is reported to have made some damning comments about the 2020 election petition filed by former president John Mahama in a leaked audio-visual recording.
In the video, the male figure alleged to be Mr Asiedu Nketiah is heard saying that, the NDC had no substantial evidence to battle out it case at the Supreme Court.
The video goes on to tout that the NDC had no collated results.
As a result, Mr Asiedu allegedly said Lawyer Tsatsu Tsikata, who represented the party at the apex court, had hesitated to take over the case.
Mr Tsikata rejected the first set of documentation which the party was seeking to rely on to challenge the Electoral Commission’s declaration in Court, per the video.
“So we consulted Tsatsu Tsikata on the matter. The following day, he returned our documents; stating that if this is what we have, then we have no case and that he cannot represent the party, so we should look for another lawyer”, the supposed “Asiedu Nketiah” revealed.
The collated results allegedly supervised by the party’s National Chairman Samuel Ofosu Ampofo was poorly done, parts of the video stated.
The collated results, which were given him as a witness to the case “was nothing to write home about. If I had presented it to any court, I would have been embarrassed”.
The male figure in question blamed the party’s defeat in the 2020 election on the Mr Ampofo.
He said the system Mr Ofosu-Ampofo brought was not effective, and broke down midway into the collation.
The truth is, we couldn’t collate the 2020 election results.
There was no way we could have provided evidence to back our court Case~ Aseidu Nketiah admits
Sammy Gyamfi will not be happy 😂 pic.twitter.com/U7zkUYuR9l
— Emmanuel Debrah Drafor Amicable (@EmmanuelDrafor) December 13, 2022
Background
Former President John Mahama sought a redress at the apex court after the electoral Commission declared President Akufo-Addo as the winner of the fiercely 2020 general elections.
Nana Akufo-Addo who contested the election on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) won with 6,730,413 votes which represents 51.295 percent of the total valid votes cast.
Mr Mahama who rejected the outcome of the result by the EC, alleged that the election was marred with several anomaly.
He alleged that vote padding and other errors complained of by the petitioner affected the outcome of the Presidential Election results of 2020.
The Supreme Court in March 2021 ruled that although it finds the accusation of vote padding very serious, it observed that this allegation was not proven by the petitioner.
The Chief Justice said that the judges are therefore settled in their minds that even if there was vote padding, it did not in any way affect the outcome of the election results.
The Office of Former President John Mahama has disassociated the former statesman from any of the candidates contesting in the National Democratic Congress’ national executives election.
In a press statement dated December 13, the Office noted its attention has been drawn to publications where candidates associate his name with their campaign.
“The Office of HE Dramani Mahama condemns a publication in a tabloid newspaper that the family of the former President is in support of one of the aspirants for the National Chairman of the NDC,” a portion of the circular read.
According to the Office, John Mahama“has no preference and has not endorsed any candidate.”
An aide to the former president, Joyce Bawah Mogtari, revealed that Mr Mahama will work with whoever emerges victorious, just like any supporter of the opposition party.
This is because “of paramount interest to President Mahama is victory for the NDC in 2024 to work with expectant and suffering Ghanaians to ‘Build the Ghana We Want.”
Following the clarification, the Office of the Former President has advised the rank and file of the party to disregard such false publications.
On December 10, NDC delegates retained George Opare Addo and Dr. Hanna Louisa Bissiw and George Opare Addo as the National Youth Organiser and National Women’s Organiser respectively.
George Opare Addo, who is also known as Pablo, polled 533 votes to triumph over his fiercest contender Brogya Genfi who polled 508 votes.
On the other hand, Dr. Bissiw polled 433 votes to beat her closest contender, Margaret Ansei who obtained 362 votes of the total valid ballot cast.
The opposition party will on December 17 decide who occupies the chairmanship, Vice Chairman, General Secretary, Deputy General Secretary and National Communications Officer positions.
The chairmanship position, the highlight of the elections, is keenly contested by the incumbent, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo; the current General Secretary, Johnson Aseidu Nketia; party stalwart, Nii Armah Ashietey and Samuel Yaw Adusei.
A former National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP), Joseph Saaka Akati, has been reported dead.
According to myxyzonline.com, the former MP for Bole-Bamboi died on Tuesday, December 13, 2022, in Accra.
The body has been flown to Bole and arrangements for the funeral will be communicated later, a family source indicated, according to the report.
Akati won the Bole-Bamboi seat with 11,452 votes in 2008, succeeding John Dramani Mahama who was contended with the late John Atta Mills for the
presidency that year.
That was when he began his political career, representing his constituents in the 5th parliament.
Former President John Dramani Mahama has accused the current administration of failing to efficiently deal with corruption cases and people involved.
Speaking at a lecture at the Academic City University College in Accra, the former President noted that although a difficult task, his government was able to sanction some persons implicated in corruption scandals who were later found guilty of the charges leveled against them.
However, he said the current administration has failed in this regard.
“Unfortunately that is part of the problem we are facing today that the President cannot sack people who have been accused of corruption and so on and so forth,” he said.
He recalled two instances during his administration where people who engaged in corrupt acts were sanctioned and asked the President to emulate his ways.
“There had been a procurement that had taken place and the minister had not gone through the procurement processes properly and as a result of that, there was an accusation that the cost of the procurement was far above what it should be and it created a major scandal for the government. So I asked the Attorney- General and Chief of Staff at the time to investigate the allegations. They did and the report confirmed that the procurement process has not gone through properly,” he noted.
Giving further details on the outcome of the cases, Mr Mahama said one of the culprits resigned and the other was jailed but later released on health grounds.
“I called the minister involved …and she tendered her resignation,” he recounted.
During the lecture, Mr Mahama asserted that dealing with corruption is one of the most difficult tasks Presidents face while in office.
He said this is often because of the people involved and their (close) relationship with the President.
“The very important aspect of decision-making for Presidents is dealing with corruption. It is not as easy as you think it is, and sometimes the person who has been involved in corruption is somebody that you know very well and probably somebody who has been a member of your team, but unfortunately, has fallen by the wayside,” he said.
He noted that regardless, every President must remain firm and deal with the situation fairly and squarely to serve as a deterrent to others who plan on conducting themselves in a similar manner.
The Leadership Seminar Series by Academic City University College is a programme designed as part of the University’s efforts to nurture the next generation of African leaders. It is aimed at ensuring that knowledge developed in the class is directly applied to address contemporary societal problems.
According to the facilitators of this programme, the course is expected to provide a platform for students to interact with renowned African leaders who have risen through the heights of their career; from political, innovation, education, and industrial realms through sheer force of will and have impacted many lives.
Mr Mahama who was the keynote speaker during this lecture spoke to the students about what leadership entails. He stressed that two key features of leadership are responsibility and decision making.
“Leadership is about responsibility first and decision making, you must accept responsibility for the position that you occupy and once you are the leader, people look up to you to take responsibility and based upon that responsibility, take decisive action. You cannot take proper decisions when you have not accepted responsibility for taking those decisions,” he said.
A former president of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, has urged citizens to donate money to help organize the 10th National Delegates Conference of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The conference, slated for Saturday, December 17, in Accra, is to elect national officers to steer the Party’s affairs for the next four years.
In a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency on Monday, Mr Mahama said about 9,000 constituency, regional and national executives, being accredited delegates, would have to be transported to Accra and accommodated for the conference.
“The Party needs your support to fund this congress,” he said.
“I am inviting 500,000 willing Ghanaians, NDC supporters, sympathisers, and friends to donate a minimum of 10 Ghana cedis each to help us fund the congress. You don’t have to be a member of the NDC to donate.”
The donation should be made via MoMo number 059 860 4199 or pay into the NDC Congress Account at the GCB Bank, into Account Number: 13-9113-00-00-837.
“If you want to arrange other forms of support, please send me an email- [email protected],” former President Mahama said.
Former President John Dramani Mahama has urged the 2022 graduating class of Accra Business School (ABS) to take an interest in national leadership to build a better Ghana.
He said this at the 13th congregation of the ABS, where 212 students were awarded various degrees, including the Master of Business Administration, Master of Science in Accounting and Finance, and the Bachelor of Science in Administration and Global Leadership, among others.
The 13th congregation was themed: “Creating Jobs in the Ghanaian Economy: Challenges and Opportunities.”
Former President Mahama, in his keynote address, congratulated the students on the successful completion of their various programmes.
“You have achieved a feat worthy of commendation and celebration. I believe you have been equipped with the right knowledge, skills, and resources and have what it takes to excel in an open world. The world is waiting for you, and the stage is yours,” he said.
Former President Mahama stressed the numerous challenges students would face in the world of work but encouraged them to pursue their dreams as they contribute to nation-building.
“As you step out of the walls of this university, you must be part of the change you want to see. You must be part of building the Ghana we want.
“Do not feel comfortable in your establishment or wherever you work. Take an interest in national leadership. Don’t leave everything to the politicians. The politician can make your life better or worse, get involved and change things if you don’t like the way things are.
“You have what it takes, and I have no doubt that our country will soon become a great and strong country, the Black Star of hope and honour that we want,” Former President Mahama told graduands.
He praised the founder of ABS, Bishop Gideon Titi-Offei, for his contribution in the educational space and for developing leaders through various programmes.
“Let me congratulate ABS for the incredible job it has done at nurturing and training generations of leaders whose success in their various fields of endeavour would propel the progress of this dear country of ours,” he stated.
The 13th congregation saw Prince Nuamah Amoako pick up the valedictorian award, thus making him the overall best student.
Former President John Dramani Mahama has opined that, the country needs a developmental plan that will bind successive governments, in its quest to be counted among the best economies in the world.
Mr. Mahama argued that a national policy that will bind governments in the future will go a long way in shaping the country for the better.
He bemoaned the lack of efforts by successive governments to pursue policies and programmes of their predecessors, thus, leading the country to incur unnecessary debts.
John Mahama reiterated that the country doesn’t have any continuity plan, citing that a policy on job creation will curb youth unemployment.
He added that the country must agree on a consensus on a national policy where successive governments will abide by, adding that such a policy could relieve Ghanaians from their economic woes.
“One of the beings of our country is like every new government comes with a new development plan, so we don’t have continuity of plan. We must as a nation agree on what our plan is for the next 10, 15 years, and every government that comes must abide by that plan. This development plan can be twerked by successive governments, but must maintain a priority investments programme that is not altered, over an agreed period of say 10, 15, 20 or even 40 years”.
“This must be accompanied by fiscal discipline that goes with governance reforms and creates an environment for sustainable job creation. Not the NABCOs and the Youth Employment Agencies and things like that. Those are ad hoc measures, and they are temporary and not sustainable,” Mr. Mahama said.
The former President said this when he addressed the 13th Congregation of the Accra Business School (ABS) over the weekend.
According to him, a national policy on businesses could help grow the economy.
“Businesses grow when the economy is booming, and they go bankrupt when the economy declines,” the former President said.
The country has experienced some cases where projects implemented by successive governments have been abandoned, whiles new ones have been pursued.
Former president of the republic of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, has shared his life-changing experience growing as a politician.
The former statesman, claimed that he took a decision to leave politics to persue lecturing , after serving as member of parliament for three consecutive terms and a minister.
Speaking at the 13th Graduation Ceremony at the Accra Business School, under the theme; “creating jobs in the Ghanaian economy, challenges and opportunities”, the NDC potential flagbearer, asserted that, destiny would have carried him into a higher rank of his lecturing career, but he received a divine calling to serve his country in the higher office as vice president and later as president of the country.
“Not many people are aware of this story of my life, but standing before you as though in a lecture theatre, takes me back to this memory, many years ago, having served for three terms as a member of parliament and minister, I took a decision to leave politics and persue a doctorate degree, after which my intention was to return to teach in a university that had been newly established in Ghana. I believe that, this life’s choices would have put me in the ranks of your hard working lectures here in shaping, impacting, and sharing knowledge with young people like you, but the hand of destiny intervened and I received the calling to serve my country in the higher office as vice president and later as faith will have it, as president of this great nation,” he said.
John Dramani Mahama, served as president of Ghana from 24th July 2012 to 7th January 2017.
He previously served as vice President of Ghana from January 2009 to July 2012.
He was the member of parliament for Bole Bamboi from 1997 to 2009 and served as deputy minister for communication and minister for communication in the erstwhile NDC administration.
A social advocacy group focused on enabling local communities to engage the government and ensure they benefit from national policies and programmes, SEND Ghana, has advised government to slow down on its dependence on development partners to fund its capital expenditure.
In a press statement released on Thursday, December 1, 2022, the group noted that government’s contribution to the country’s capital expenditure continues to dwindle year after year.
The report reveals that in the 2023 budget, government funds amounted to 1.8 percent, while development partners contributed to 92.22 percent of the total allocations.
“Our analysis of the national budgets (2019-2023) shows that the government still relies heavily on Development Partners (DPs) to fund its capital investments for some major ministries. Investments in the provision of Water, Hygiene and Sanitation (WASH) services in the last four years have largely been donor driven. In the 2019 budget for the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, 70.26 percent of projected allocation was sourced from DPs. In 2020, it increased to 82.39 percent,” part of the release read.
“This trend continued in 2021 with projected funds from DPs, for purposes of capital expenditure, constituting 75 percent, while the GoG, Internal Generated Funds (IGF), and the Annual Budget Funding Amount (ABFA) collectively make up just about 25 percent. In the 2023 budget, a whopping 92.22 percent of the total allocation is expected to come from DPs while GoG’s contribution reduced from 8.48 percent in 2022 to 1.8 percent in 2023,” it added.
SEND Ghana acknowledged that while a massive contribution by development partners to the capital expenditure was essential for economic growth, over-reliance on external supports may hinder government’s agricultural modernization and industrialization initiative.
“While investment in CAPEX is critical in stimulating growth, over reliance on donor support, which is characteristically unpredictable, puts at risk the government’s drive in pursuing agricultural modernization and industrialization,” it added.
Parliament is expected to debate the 2023 budget in the coming week.
Former President John Dramani Mahama has blamed the freeze in employment for the public sector announced in the 2023 budget on the reckless spending and mismanagement of President Akufo-Addo and his appointees.
Speaking at the 13th Congregation of the Accra Business School on Saturday, the former President painted a gloomy picture for the country in the coming years and urged the graduates to venture into entrepreneurship or look to the private sector for employment.
“Unfortunately, parastatals that were thriving a few years ago have been run into the ground by political appointees who have mismanaged the affairs of the state-owned enterprises. These constraints further the ability of the public sector to employ.
“Let me put our situation in a better context. Compensation cost for 2022 was estimated at 55.3 percent of tax revenue, which means off all the taxes we collect we spend 55.3 percent to pay wages and salaries for the public sector alone, amortisation and interest payments consumed the rest of our taxes,” the former president said.
Mr Mahama added that the “situation has compelled the government this year to announce a freeze or a ban on public-sector employment. This makes the situation rather dire for you…unfortunately due to mismanagement and reckless expenditure by the government over the last five years, the private business environment is also in a very poor state today.”
The former President’s comments follow the government’s announcement of a freeze on hiring into the public and civil service effective January 2023 as part of cabinet directives for expenditure rationalisation in the 2023 Budget as the country readies itself for a bailout from the International Monetary Fund.
There have been similar freezes on public sector employment in 2008 and 2014.
Former President John Dramani Mahama has said Aflao, as the most vibrant border town in Ghana, deserves more than it currently has and, thus, in line with the party’s promises in the 2020 People’s Manifesto, the next NDC government will give the people of Aflao a modern international standard market, a new hospital, in addition to other socio-economic infrastructure.
Mr Mahama made the promise when he joined Togbui Amenya Fiti V, Paramount Chief of Aflao, on the occasion of his 25th anniversary over the weekend.
Tobgui’s anniversary coincided with the Godigbe Festival of the chiefs and people of Aflao.
Mr Mahama expressed joy that Togbui visited and personally invited him to grace the occasion.
Aflao being a border town, people from I thank the people of Aflao Togo and Benin thronged the durbar ground to witness the ceremony.
Aflao is a town in Ketu South District in the Volta Region on Ghana’s border with Togo.
Former President Mahama is full of applause for the senior national team, the Black Stars, after last night’s opening game against Portugal.
The team in a dramatic manner lost painfully to Portugal while demonstrating resilience and tenacity.
The former President in a Citi News interview observed the talent of the team and appealed to Ghanaians to stand behind it.
“The players played very well and very confidently. The boys have talents. So this is the Black Stars for now and the future, so let’s give them all our support, and I am sure they will go far.”
A two-minute collapse in the second half by Ghana’s Black Stars helped Portugal pick up a 3-2 win in their Group H clash.
Andre Ayew’s 73rd-minute goal cancelled out Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty and appeared to have given the Stars a new lease of life.
However, goals from Joao Felix and Rafael Leao in the 78th and 80th minutes put Portugal back in control.
Osman Bukari headed home a second for the Black Stars, but the Portuguese held on, despite nine added minutes, to pick up all three points.
The defeat would have been hard for Otto Addo’s men, who stifled Portugal for much of the first half and the beginning of the second.
Ghana even looked more dangerous than they had in the first half, as Kudus flashed a shot just wide after a surging run.
It was Portugal, however, who broke the deadlock with a controversial penalty.
Mohammed Salisu was adjudged to have taken down Cristiano Ronaldo in the box by the referee, who stuck to his guns despite the protests from the Ghanaians.
Ronaldo stepped up and fired home clinically to put Portugal ahead.
The lead lasted only five minutes as Kudus Mohammed, who had troubled the Portuguese with his speed and skill all game flashed in a cross from the left which was tapped home by Andre Ayew.
Disaster struck moments later when Baba Rahman failed to deal with a through pass. Joao Felix pounced on the loose ball and finished beautifully.
Substitute Rafael Leao rushed through on goal and slid the ball past Lawrence Ati Zigi.
Ghana looked down and out but were handed some hope when Osman Bukari headed home Baba Rahman’s cross.
Nine minutes of injury time flew by as the Stars searched for an equaliser and they almost found it when Inaki Williams snuck in behind Diogo Costa to steal the ball but slipped at the crucial moment.
The win takes Portugal top of the group but the 0-0 draw between South Korea and Uruguay earlier in the day means today’s loss might not prove to be too costly for the Black Stars.
“I have seen some new players in there who played some fantastic football so we have some great potential in there. Otto Addo is a good coach so I think we should give him some space to able to blend the team. So far so good”, Mr. Mahama added.
The Member of Parliament for Abaklu, Kwame Governs Agbodza, has explained why he is not going to resign as a Member of Parliament after promising to do so on live TV.
On Tuesday, November 15, 2022, during a panel discussion, on Good Morning Ghana programme, Governs Agbodza said that Vice President Bawumia, after telling Ghanaians that the government of former President John Dramani Mahama was constructing hospitals at an inflated cost, is now constructing hospitals at a cost far greater than that of Mahama.
Dr. Kabiru Mahama retorted, saying that Agbodza’s statement was not true because hospitals were being constructed at a far lesser cost under the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo/Mahamudu Bawumia government.
He went on to cite an example of a 150-bed unit at Ofankor District Hospital, which was constructed at a cost of not more than $1.5 million.
But the NDC MP said that the example given by Bawumia’s aide cannot be true and went on to promise that he will resign as an MP if he can prove that a 150-bed unit was constructed at a cost less than $1.5 million.
Dr. Mahama then pulled a story from GhanaWeb proving that a 150-bed unit at Ofankor District Hospital was built for less than $1.5 million.
Exactly a week later, on November 22, 2022, the MP on “Good Morning Ghana,” as he usually is on Tuesdays, explained why he was not going to resign despite the ‘evidence’ given by Bawumia’s advisor.
He said that pronouncements made by Vice President Bawumia and Dr. Kabiru Mahama about the said health facility were false because the facility at Ofankor was not a district hospital but a health centre.
He also stated that the African Development Bank (ADB), which provided funding for the health facility, classified it as a health center rather than a hospital.
“The question is has ADB built a 150 bed unit hospital (at Ofankor)? … that is a calculated lie. If you go to the ADB website, you will see every project they have done in this country.
He went on to read a document by the government that listed some projects that had been completed and it indicated “a health centre at Ofankor not a district hospital at Ofankor”.
“So, where exactly did the vice president get this idea about a 150-bed district hospital,” he added.
The Coast South Constituency Member of Parliament claimed the decision would cause inflation in an interview with Sammy Eshun on the Happy morning show.
Mr. Ricketts-Hagan believes that while the resolution is a good step toward boosting the economy, it is also a bad idea because it will raise food prices.
“You will realize that’s a good idea which would save us the exchange rate and save us some dollars but is a bad decision because it would cause unnecessary panic and shortages in the system and in the long run contribute to inflation.
“It would have to be a program whether they take a year or two to do this for example maybe in this year’s budget we would cut 25% importation on rice, in the next year or six months’ time we would cut another 25% so by that time you would have stopped entirely while providing the necessary things for local farmers and distributors who would be able to provide rice and oil to meet the demands of people,” he added.
Bank of Ghana said the affected items included rice, poultry, vegetable oil, toothpick, pasta, fruit juice, bottled water, ceramic tiles and other non–critical goods.
Lawyer Maurice Ampaw has taken a swipe at former President John Dramani Mahama and leaders of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) after the party won the election petition against their Member of Parliament for Jomoro, Dorcas Affo -Toffey.
Ampaw said that Mahama and other leading members of the NDC have been castigating the court, saying that it is biased towards the government, but the party winning the Jomoro election petition proves that courts work with the laws of the country.
“I was not surprised by the ruling … this shows that if you are not diabolic and if you don’t politicize the judiciary, you will realise that the judges use the laws of the country, truth and evidence to work.
“So, I am not surprised that the judge after interrogating the witness, has declared the Jomoro MP as duly elected.
“I commend the NDC lead them and the MP for their victory. But their legal team should go and tell John Mahama and NDC apparatchiks like Ofosu-Ampofo, Asiedu Nketiah that the court that Mahama described as an NPP court, a 7-0 court is the same court that gave them victory,” he said in Twi.
Lawyer Ampaw, who made these remarks in a Nsem Pii interview, which was monitored by GhanaWeb, added that the NDC’s jubilation over winning the petitions shows they are hypocrites because they only praise the court when they win cases.
An election petition case against the Member of Parliament for the Jomoro constituency, Dorcas Affo-Toffey, was struck out by the Sekondi High Court.
This comes after a citizen, Joshua Emuah Kofie, went to court to challenge the eligibility of the MP to contest as a representative of the people in the constituency on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on grounds that she had multiple nationalities, including American and Ivorian citizenships, which is against the 1992 Constitution.
The Sekondi High Court presided over by Justice Dr. Richmond Osei Hwere dismissed the case on grounds that the MP was eligible to contest as she lost her Ivorian citizenship at the very time, she acquired her Ghanaian citizenship.
In regards to her American citizenship, the MP denied having American citizenship.
The case has been in court for over 20 months since she was elected to represent the people of Jomoro constituency.
Former President John Dramani Mahama will today engage Civil Society Organisations (CSO) in the country over Ghana’s prevailing economic crisis.
The meeting will afford the 2020 flagbearer of the NDC the opportunity to listen to the perspectives of CSOs on the challenges and possible solutions for the governance deficits and economic challenges confronting the country.
The said meeting will come off at 10:30 am at the Miklin Hotel, East Legon.
The second largest cocoa producer is currently experiencing economic crisis acknowledged by President Akufo-Addo in his national address on the economy last month.
Ghana is negotiating a program of up to $3 billion with the International Monetary Fund(IMF).
Former President John Dramani Mahama has said that the current economic hardship in Ghana has taken a toll on offerings to God.
According to him, followers of Christ are unable to give huge offerings in the church due to economic hardship, which has affected the pockets of Ghanaians.
He was speaking at the 175th-anniversary thanksgiving service of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Ho.
“We must always spread Christian love, especially in this time, when money doesn’t like noise. Especially at this time when we all agree that times are hard. This is the time we must show our Christian charity by loving our neighbours as ourselves.
“And so whatever little you have to share, you should share with your neighbour. I mean we could tell the hardship in the system from the appeal for funds.
“When it was ¢2000, madam chair and a few people came and donated, then it came down to ¢1000, then to ¢500, then to ¢200 and ¢100. And when it got to the silver collection, ¢1, ¢2, the place was full, it shows that the pocket was not too good”, he stated.
Mr Mahama, therefore, appealed to Christians to pray for him and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to win the 2024 general elections.
This he said would enable him and his party to rescue Ghana from the current economic hardship, rising inflation and suffering.
“After we pray for Pakistan, Moderator should also say a special prayer for me and for the NDC so that in some year that is just coming, luck will smile on us, God will smile on us and give us the power to come and rescue this country from the suffering we are going through,” he said.
Mr Mahama lauded the efforts of the E.P Church, Ghana, to the development of the country, especially in the education and health sectors.
The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana, Rt. Okay Rev Dr Lt. Col. Bliss Divine Agbeko (Rtd), advised Christians to remain righteous followers of Christ and persevere to the very end.
He also implored persons in leadership positions to eschew corruption to earn a place in paradise adding the church would continue to shepherd its congregation for the common good of humanity.
An aide to former President John Dramani Mahama, Joyce Bawah Mogtari, has described moves by the Agric Minister to sell foodstuff at its premises to control prices as a disaster.
According to her, it is unbelievable that the “incompetent Minister for Agriculture actually went ahead to sell plantains at the ministry”.
In a Facebook post, she said if this was the standard for measuring the performance of the sector minister, then all farmers would be excellent Agric Ministers.
“I simply can’t believe the obviously failed and incompetent Minister for Agriculture actually went ahead to sell plantains in the ministry. Is plantain the only food item Ghanaians eat and which is expensive to buy today?
“How can the sale of plantains at controlled prices ensure food security for our entire population?
“And should all Ghanaians move to the ministry in Accra to buy the plantain at the controlled prices?”, the former aide added.
As part of efforts to control prices of foodstuff, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture began selling foodstuff within its premises to serve people in Accra.
The products are brought from the farms to the ministry and sold to consumers at a cheaper price.
However, when the project commenced, plantain was the only item at the venue.
A former Minister of Youth and Sports under the erstwhile John Dramani Mahama administration, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, has stated that there was never such a thing as Guinea fowls flying out of Ghana.
According to him, the propaganda and exaggerations that have been told around the guinea fowls, which were part of the government’s Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Agency (GYEEDA) initiative, were all false.
Explaining a point to GhanaWeb TV’s Edward Smith Anamale on the Election Desk, the aspirant for the General Secretary position of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) said that they were all untruths.
“So, we actually restructured it but by then, the issues were already there but the focus was on those issues and of course, there were exaggerations; things like guinea fowls flying. There was nothing like that; absolutely nothing like that. Those were some of the exaggerations that occurred,” he explained.
An aspiring General Secretary of the largest opposition party in Ghana, the National Democratic Congress, has clarified the circumstances that surrounded one of the government initiatives under the erstwhile John Dramani Mahama administration.
Speaking in an interview on GhanaWeb TV’s Election Desk with Edward Smith Anamale, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah explained that contrary to the narrative, the NDC government rather came in to restructure the operations of the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Agency (GYEEDA).
He explained that upon their attainment of power, the NDC came to the realization that there was a lot of wrong with the institution, a situation that it immediately went to work on remedying.
He described as an ‘irony,’ the fact that people rather blame the John Mahama administration for the rot that happened under the GYEEDA program.
“The president gave me two mandates: qualify us for the World Cup and also restructure the youth front, and that included the National Youth Employment Program (NYEP). Now, the story that has not been told is that it is our government, under the direction of President Mahama, led by me, that streamlined and restructured the GYEEDA program.
“So, it’s an irony when people rather turn to actually lambast the NDC government for GYEEDA. So, we had the NYEP, and when we took office, we found so many issues with the NYEP, starting from when it was established. The problem was the way it was established, the structures and systems that were in place.
“There was no clear-cut mode of financing so the financing was haphazard; when bills accumulated, you’d have to go to the finance ministry and go and lobby and then get paid. We introduced a tax system; money from a source that would be coming regularly. Ways in which contracts were awarded. It was a situation where the service providers would rather bring in the contract; we changed that. We said service providers can no longer bring in contracts. The institution itself would sit down and then source for contracts and then no more sole sourcing,” he said.
Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, who was by then the Minister of Youth and Sports, explained that it was rather their efforts that streamlined the institution.
He added that it unfortunately, the bad outcomes from the unstructured administration before he took over was what many people heard about, so much that they exaggerated a lot of things.
“So, we actually restructured it, but by then, the issues were already there, but the focus was on those issues and of course, there were exaggerations; things like guinea fowls flying. There was nothing like that; absolutely nothing like that. Those were some of the exaggerations that occurred,” he explained.
Former President, John Dramani Mahama has donated GH¢1,953,000 to the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The donation is to aid the party in its internal elections with the regional elections commencing today, Friday, November 11.
This was announced by the National Communications Officer of the party, Sammy Gyamfi in a press statement issued today.
According to the said statement, GH¢853,000 is for the conduct of the regional elections and the balance for a debt owed to the Electoral Commission (EC) for the conduct of the party’s constituency elections.
“The NDC’s flag-bearer for the 2020 general elections has donated an amount totalling ¢1,953,000 to support the conduct of the party’s constituency and regional internal elections.
The donation is made up of an amount of ¢853,000 to the national party leadership for the organization of regional election conferences across the country and an amount of ¢1,100,000 to the Electoral Commission to clear the debt owed them by the party in respect to the just-ended constituency elections of the party,” the release said.
The release concluded that “the party is most grateful to His Excellency and his generous sponsors for coming to the assistance of the party at this crucial time.”
A leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Charles Wereko-Brobby, has berated President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for the current hardship in the country.
According to him, Ghana’s economy is in this state because the president refuses to listen to sound advice.
Dr Wereko Brobby, who made these remarks in a Neat FM interview monitored by GhanaWeb, added that Akufo-Addo and his appointees are doing the same things he (Akufo-Addo) criticised the NDC government for when he was in opposition.
“(The country) is in this current state because of stubbornness. Because from the beginning, we at Alliance for Change used to criticise the NDC for the size of their government, accusing them of squandering the country’s resources with the number of ministers they had appointed.
“Now, this my brother (Akufo-Addo) comes to power, and the 85 ministers of Mahama we were complaining was too much, [he] increased it to 125. So, is this progress?
“When we spoke about it, he said that the number of his ministers is insignificant but what matters is their output. This means that we criticised the NDC only to come and do worse than they did. This is why we are where we are today… If you decide not to take the advice on things we have spoken about, this is what happens. Today, inflation is over 40 percent, and it will be worse,” he said.
Dr Wereko-Brobby added that the failure of the government to stabilise the nation’s currency and the prices of petroleum products is the cause of the hardships in the country.
Former President John Dramani Mahama has noted that the budget to the Office of the President in 2022 was too high.
He said the budget has been increased from ¢700million to ¢3.1billion this year.
Mr Mahama asked President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to cut the budget to his office in these times of economic difficulties.
“The budget for the Office of the President has ballooned, over the last six years, from GH¢700m to GH¢ 3.1bn in 2022,” he tweeted on Tuesday November 8.
He added “For expenditure rationalization to be successful, it must first start in the President’s office. Substantial savings of GH¢1bn can be made by slashing the budget.”
Ghana’s former president, John Dramani Mahama, has charged the government to start slashing down its ballooning expenditure from the Office of the President.
In a tweet, John Mahama stated that the budget of the president’s office has ballooned exponentially in the last six years to GH¢ 3.1 billion.
“The budget for the Office of the President has ballooned, over the last six years, from GH¢700m to GH¢ 3.1bn in 2022,” he tweeted.
The former president further advised the government to start cutting down the expenditure of the president’s office, as it could save the country a substantial amount of money.
“For expenditure rationalization to be successful, it must first start in the President’s office. Substantial savings of GH¢1bn can be made by slashing the budget,” he added.
The government of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has been faced with a lot of economic challenges in the last year, with inflation figures skyrocketing.
Fuel prices and the rate of exchange of the Ghana cedis to the US dollar have also been extremely high in recent months, plunging a lot of businesses into disarray.
See John Mahama’s tweet below:
The budget for the Office of the President has ballooned, over the last six years, from GH¢700m to GH¢ 3.1bn in 2022. For expenditure rationalization to be successful, it must first start in the President’s office. Substantial savings of GH¢1bn can be made by slashing the budget.
