• Mr Mahama has described the ruling government as the luckiest under the Fourth Republic
•He however says that the government has nothing to show for it despite the advantage
• Mr Mahama has attributed the current hardship to government’s mismanagement of the economy
Former President, John Dramani Mahama has stated that despite the abundance of resources under the Akufo-Addo-led government, not much has been attained under his leadership.
Mr Mahama has described the ruling government as “the luckiest government under the fourth republic” but according to him, the New Patriotic Patry (NPP) has blown the state funds through their mismanagement and corrupt practices.
According to him, Ghana’s current crisis is not a result of the impact of COVID-19 but rather the mismanagement of the economy by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
Speaking at the NDC’s Professionals Forum at the University of Ghana on Monday, September 6, 2021, the former president noted that Akufo-Addo’s government has enjoyed “more than twice the total tax revenue” under the NDC but still can’t account for the monies he claims they (NPP government) have spent beyond their expenditure.
He said: “This government must accept that it is their mismanagement of the economy, their thirst for consumption expenditure and the desire to spend beyond our means in order to win elections that have plunged us into the current crisis, not necessarily COVID-19.
“This has been the luckiest government under the fourth republic. They have benefitted from 60% of all the oil revenue accruing to Ghana since we began producing oil, they have had more than twice the total tax revenue available to us and have enjoyed unprecedented support from our development partners.”
Mr Mahama furthered: “Within a space of 12 months, they have received up to GH¢11 billion from the IMF alone and over $200 million from the World Bank and other donors. They had access to over $200 million from the Stabilization Fund we set up and got Central Bank Financing of GH¢10 billion whereas we had zero financing from the Central bank in 2016 despite all our challenges.
They have also increased our debt by almost twice the total amount of all previous governments put together. All of this notwithstanding, they have the least to show in terms of tangible gains or capital investments.”