Former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has acknowledged that economic difficulties and frequent public protests during his tenure played a significant role in his government’s declining popularity.
Speaking at the launch of a book by former Nigerian military president General Ibrahim Babangida, Akufo-Addo reflected on the economic turbulence that defined his presidency, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, which severely impacted Ghana’s financial stability.
He noted that the global crisis disrupted economies worldwide, including Ghana, leading to a sharp decline in economic activity.
With international capital markets largely inaccessible, his administration had limited options and was ultimately forced to seek financial assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to stabilize the economy.
Akufo-Addo admitted that the resulting economic hardships fueled widespread public dissatisfaction, triggering multiple protests.
While he noted that the demonstrations were not as intense as the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) riots in the 1980s, he conceded that they were serious enough to erode public confidence in his administration.
“We faced a major economic crisis and with the world’s capital markets closed to us, we ended up going to the IMF. Not an easy decision to make. The economic difficulties brought people onto the streets,” he stated.
“Even though the demonstrations were not on the scale of the SAP riots described in the book, they were serious enough, feeding into the growing disaffection against the government,” he added.
READ ALSO: