The Ningo-Prampram Member of Parliament, Samuel Nartey George, has accused President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of being dishonest and untruthful about the real state of affairs in the country during his message of the State of the Nation Address.
The Honorable Samuel Nartey George, reacting to the President’s address highlighted various economic metrics of the country that, according to him, contradict the President’s claims of the country heading towards positive economic direction.
He specifically criticized the President’s assertion that the country’s macroeconomic indicators are pointing in the right direction and strongly asserted that every economic metric comparing the current situation to former President John Dramani Mahama’s records as of December 2016 does not support President Akufo-Addo’s assertion.
“The President is clearly out of touch. He doesn’t understand what is going on in the country; he is living in a bubble. I have already said the President has checked out from the country and he has already handed over power. He is literally a figurehead, right now, he doesn’t understand what is happening with Ghanaian people”.
Samuel Nartey George
The National Democratic Congress lawmaker expressing deep concerns about the sharp depreciation of the Ghanaian cedi, pointed out that in December 2016, under former President John Dramani Mahama, the currency stood at GHS 4 to one dollar, while as of February 2024, it had depreciated significantly to GHS 13.
Mr George questioned the President’s claim of the country moving in the right direction, particularly in light of the country’s refusal to service its debt for almost a year.
“Let’s just assume that you earned GHS 5,000. The GHS 5,000 in 2016, let’s ignore inflation and assume it is the same GHS 5,000 today. In 2016, if you divide the GHS 5,000 by 4, it would give you one thousands two hundred and fifty dollars. Today, the GHS 5,000 divided by 13 would give you three hundred and eighty four dollars.
“Here your salary under President John Dramani Mahama which was thousand two hundred and fifty dollars is now equivalent to three hundred and eighty hundred dollars. How could the President look at such a person and say to him or her that the economy is moving in the right direction? May God judge him”.
Samuel Nartey George
Furthermore, the vociferous legislator bemoaned the high inflation rate in the country under the New Patriotic Party administration and stated that in December 2016, inflation was 15.4%, whereas it had risen to 23.5% by the present day.
He decried the alarming food inflation rate of 27% in the country and mentioned that in December 2022, inflation rose to 54%, causing around 850,000 Ghanaians to fall into poverty, according to a World Bank report.
Moreover, the Honorable Samuel Nartey George lamented over Ghana’s high lending rates, and claimed that for the second consecutive year, the country had the highest lending rate in Africa, surpassing even Eritrea and Somalia.
He further underscored the unsustainable state of Ghana’s public debt and argued that Ghana’s debt-to-GDP ratio had surged from 52% in 2016 to a staggering 103% in December 2022, causing the country to default on its domestic and international debt obligations.
The Ningo-Prampram Member of Parliament, Samuel Nartey George attributed the situation to the poor management of the country’s economy by President Akufo-Addo and his Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
In addition, the Honorable Samuel Nartey George accused President Akufo-Addo of misleading the public and taking credit for projects that were initiated by the National Democratic Congress administration under former President John Dramani Mahama, citing an example of the Tema to Mpakadan railway project.
According to him, the funding and the approval of the Tema to Mpakadan railway project were all done under former President John Dramani Mahama.
“The approval of the project was done in Parliament in 2016 with the Honorable Fifi Fiavi Kwetey as the then Transport Minister. And now the President comes and says the project is his project, interestingly the President couldn’t mention the name correctly. You claimed you owed the project yet you don’t even know the town the project is located in. That is how dishonest, the President is”.
Samuel Nartey George
Mr George vehemently asserted that President Akufo-Addo’s statements during the State of the Nation Address on the Tema to Mpakadan railway project were misleading and inaccurate.
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