An aide to former President John Dramani Mahama has agreed that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo may have overpromised Ghanaians in his bid to win the 2016 elections.
That the president had overpromised was a view advanced by Prof. Stephen Adei, a former Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, GIMPA.
James Agyenim-Boateng, a former deputy Minister in reacting to the Professor's view on Akufo-Addo's promises remarked in a Facebook comment section that: "He also over spent and under delivered."
The area of spending is one that government has been tasked with cutting down amid an economic crunch that has sent government to the International Monetary Fund, IMF.
What Prof. Adei said:
Speaking to Accra-based Asaase Radio on August 17, Professor Adei bemoaned the prioritization of party manifesto for development instead of the national development plan.
According to him, the use of the party manifesto is what may have contributed to Ghana’s misfortunes in the last couple of years.
He singled out President Akufo-Addo, labeling him as someone who overpromised. He cited some projects mentioned by President Akufo-Addo such as Free SHS, One District - One Factory as basis for his assertion.
“It’s unfortunate we have been going into circles. I believe that we must change the way we do business. We need to strengthen certain institutions and in the economic area, the National Development Planning Commission. We must stop this idea that we are elected on the basis of our manifesto….
"And I think that in 2024, economists, journalists and others will sit down and discuss the manifestos, see if the governments are going to say that we will implement our manifesto to tell us whether it is realistic or unrealistic. For example, I think Akufo-Addo overpromised ... he should have revised himself and say that we are going to sequence,” Professor Adei said.
Asked if it would not have affected President Akufo-Addo’s second term bid, he said “I don’t think necessarily. If you come and say that this is what we wanted to do.
"Given the economic situation as we have inherited it, which is always an excuse for either parties when they come to power, you can blame your predecessor, we are going to do it in these phases and people see that you are doing it. I don’t think the Ghanaians would say that be doing everything in the first year”.
“Once you are in power, you can think through and calibrate your agenda,” he added.
The economy has in recent times experienced a downturn with government partly blaming the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war for the situation.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo