The National Organizer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has accused the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo, of peddling falsehood about the state of the economy he inherited from the previous administration.
According to Kofi Adams, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government took over the most stable economy of any administration in the fourth republic.
Speaking in response to calls by the President for Ghanaians to be considerate in their demands on his government, Kofi Adams claimed the NDC had inherited and turned around an economy in a far worse state, with the government having to issue bonds initially just to pay salaries of workers.
“The President is not only showing signs of double standards but he’s also peddling falsehood. President Akufo-Addo inherited a better economy than possibly any of our [other] presidents have had in the fourth republic,” Kofi Adams said in an interview with Citi News.
“The NDC inherited an economy in 2009 that was borrowing to pay salaries. Indeed we went out there and took bonds before we could pay salaries. That was the type of economy we inherited. The NPP inherited an economy that never borrowed to pay salaries. We paid salaries using revenue generated internally.”
The President was responding to demands made on him by the chiefs and people of the Dorimon traditional area at Jambusie in the Wa West District, while on a two-day working visit to the Upper West Region as part of 7-day tour of northern Ghana.
The President said his government had inherited an ailing economy which forced them to be measured in the number of projects they undertake.
“What we are saying is that, all the things that you have put to me are things that I am very concerned about – extending the school feeding programme, establishing a nurses training college—but a lot of them depend on the state of our public finances. And the truth of the matter is that, I am not a lucky son, I did not inherit a rich father. The inheritance I got from my predecessor was an empty treasury so I’m having to work my way from the bottom up,” Nana Addo said.
However, Kofi Adams touted the Mahama administration’s feats in infrastructure development despite the challenges they had encountered, particularly the work that has been done at the various airports.
“We had added a lot more infrastructure that did not exist. Go to our air and sea ports today; we’ve added a lot more infrastructure that did not exist. We have a more expanded Kumasi Airport, Tamale Airport and the Kotoka International Airport is seeing massive expansion” he said.