It is beyond comprehension how you, alongside President Akufo-Addo and your appointees, can remain oblivious to the pain and trauma inflicted on the people of Ghana over the past eight years. Despite this suffering, you have the audacity to campaign for another term on December 7, 2024.
The people of Ghana have endured enough. They have faced untold hardships that your administration has caused, and even many who once supported you have lost faith in your self-serving and incompetent governance.
In 2016, your infamous refrain—“Teachers are suffering, teacher-trainees are suffering, Nurses are suffering, nurse-trainees are suffering”—should resonate louder today than it did then. Please refrain from attributing the current situation to external factors like COVID-19, the Ukraine crisis, or the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Back in 2016, when the exchange rate was under 4 cedis to the dollar, you claimed, “You can engage in all the propaganda you want, but if the economic fundamentals are weak, the exchange rate will expose you.” How ironic that this theory now haunts you. With exchange rates skyrocketing, you dismiss legitimate concerns as “warped logic” rather than owning up to your administration’s failures.
Under your leadership as head of the economic management team, Ghana’s debt-to-GDP ratio has soared to approximately 85%. Our total debt has ballooned from 120 billion cedis in 2016 to around 750 billion cedis today, burdening future generations. Is this the legacy you wish to present as you seek the presidency?
Over these eight years, your government has systematically diminished household incomes and impoverished many rural communities. You have overseen the collapse of several indigenous banks, robbing families of their livelihoods. Many professionals have been forced to accept low-paying jobs to make ends meet, while countless others struggle to survive through informal work. Is this a source of pride for you?
In your quest for power in 2016, you and President Akufo-Addo spread numerous falsehoods about President Mahama’s administration and made reckless promises. Where are the outcomes of your grand pledges: “one village, one dam,” “one constituency, one million dollars,” and “one district, one factory”? You have even tarnished President Mahama’s reputation with unsubstantiated claims, including the so-called “Airbus scandal.” Have you no shame in not apologizing to the people of this country?
Your administration has not only mismanaged the economy but also presided over unprecedented levels of corruption and theft of state resources for the benefit of a select few. You have systematically undermined the Office of the Special Prosecutor, with the first one resigning and calling your administration the “mother serpent of corruption.” The current Special Prosecutor has labeled himself a “lonely bird” in a corrupt environment.
You have boasted of a “solid team” of leaders like Dr. Akoto Osei and Osafo Marfo. Yet, what have they delivered to the people of Ghana in these eight years? To campaign for a mandate to continue this downward spiral is nothing short of a betrayal.
I, along with many Ghanaians, urge you and your incompetent NPP officials to spare us further anguish. We cannot endure more stress at this time. What we need is a committed team of experienced, knowledgeable, and selfless leaders who are dedicated to transforming and sustainably developing Ghana for the benefit and prosperity of its people.
This government, of which you have been a part for nearly eight years, is clearly unfit for purpose. It represents a grand deception and has been a monumental failure—the worst in Ghana’s history.
By: Victor Smith