President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo declined to directly answer a question about the economy when he cast his ballot at the New Patriotic Party (NPP) headquarters in Accra. Instead, he asked the journalist if it was an appropriate time and place for such a conversation.
After casting his vote in the November 4 Presidential Primaries of his party, the president was approached by journalists who began asking him questions about his observations regarding the process and his views on which of the four contenders is likely to win the flagbearership race when the poll concludes.
"It is the people who decide,” he said before a question on the economy was asked by another journalist.
“Mr President, would you say you’ve managed the economy well?” the yet-to-be-identified journalist asked.
Pausing briefly and turning to the direction of the said journalist, the president retorted: “You want me to come and have this interview here, today?”
After making this statement, the president signaled to the party's General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong, with a nod, indicating his readiness to leave the center.
The NPP is holding a crucial election to choose its flagbearer for the upcoming 2024 general elections in Ghana. This election is significant as it aims to break the traditional eight-year election cycle pattern in the country.
There are four contenders in this flagbearer race. Among them, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia is considered a frontrunner while Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, the Member of Parliament for Assin Central, is expected to be a strong competitor, particularly after his surprising second-place finish in the party's Super Delegates Conference, which took place in August.
The rest are former Minister of Food and Agric, Dr. Owusu Akoto Afriyie, and former Member of Parliament, Francis Addai-Nimoh.
Conversation around Ghana's economy
The Minority in Parliament has on a number of occasions demanded the immediate dismissal of the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta. They have claimed the government appointee is behind the country’s economic woes. Among others, the NDC has criticised the government for its expenditure and obsession with taxation.
According to the Minority, the ex-while National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration under the leadership of Mr. John Dramani Mahama left behind a robust economy which has been derailed by Akufo-Addo.
The government has argued that the economy under Akufo-Addo was impressive until the emergence of a global crisis sparked by COVID and the Russia-Ukraine war.
Former President John Dramani Mahama in one of his addresses voiced his disapproval of the NPP government's tendency to attribute the country's economic challenges to external factors, insisting that the Akufo-Addo government has failed to accept responsibility.
Meanwhile, Ofori-Atta during the 2023 Mid-Year Budget Review presented in Parliament on July 31 said Ghana is currently making modest gains in turning the economy around after experiencing severe economic hardship in 2022.
