The Convention People’s Party (CPP) has rejected the President’s claim that Ghana did not experience any food shortage during the COVID-19 Pandemic. According to CPP, its search reveals what is contrary to the view of the President. There was a massive shortage of maize, tomatoes and basic food items in the country, the party stresses.
The CPP made this known in a press statement titled “The Declining State of Ghana”. The Statement was signed by the General Secretary, Nana Yaa Akyempim Jantuah.
In his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) of his second term on Tuesday, March 9, 2021, the President said Ghana did not experience food shortage during the COVID-19 pandemic because of “the bold policies” implemented by his administration since 2017.
He said policies such as the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) programme, Rearing for Food and Jobs, among others have prevented Ghana from experiencing a famine.
However, the CPP says Ghana relied on the importation of food, agricultural products to supplement local production. These included rice, maize, tomatoes, and poultry products (chicken). The party raised the question of why the exorbitant prices of food stuffs in the market if truly there exist a complete food glut in the country.
CPP’s Assessment of SONA
According to the CPP, the state of the nation is in total disarray under the Akufo-Addo-led administration. The party says the address by the President failed to state in clear terms the exact state of Ghana. The party added that the address was rather “a repetition of recycled unfulfilled campaign promises.”
Furthermore, the President also failed to touch on very relevant issues including corruption, food security, employment, decent accommodation for citizens and Ghana’s current debt stock, the party noted.
“The president failed to expatiate and address our ballooning national debt currently standing at approximately a whopping Two hundred and ninety – seven billion cedis (297.00 billion Ghana Cedis) which represent a close to 78% of our Gross Domestic Production (GDP).”
The General Secretary lauds the intervention of a 32 megawatts hydroelectric plant in the Northern part of Ghana. However, she points out that the President failed to explain the cause of the recent power outages and system collapses.
CPP expressed shock at the President’s failure to express his position on the LGBTQ debate. LGBTQ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex. The CPP also believes that the President could have told the nation how the campaign promise of One Million Ghana Cedis per Constituency is being implemented. In effect, how the task payers’ money is being utilized.
Other developments
The Minority Leader in Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu also expressed disappointment in the President’s state of the nation address. He also said “the president was conspicuously silent on the national debt stock which is in the region of some GH¢297 billion.”
He added the president also could not give specifics on the impact of COVID-19 on employment in the country. The Minority Leader raised concerns on the government failure to express its commitment to fight corruption.
Touching on the issue of the LGBTQ, Mr. Iddrisu said President Akufo-Addo could have used the occasion of the SONA to reaffirm the country’s position on LGBTQ.
Dr Cassiel Ato Forson also said Akufo-Addo failed to paint an accurate picture in his delivery of the SONA.
“I could see that the speech in itself did not reflect the true state of the nation.”
Dr Cassiel Ato Forson
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