Professor Kobby Mensah, a Political Marketing Strategist, has mocked the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) campaign pledge to introduce a credit scheme allowing citizens to purchase smartphones with monthly repayments of GH¢1 and GH¢2, calling it an unrealistic promise.
Professor Kobby Mensah emphasized that only those with a naive understanding would believe the unrealistic promise of a phone-on-credit policy for just 1 Cedi, emphasizing that the policy is utterly ridiculous and lacking in credibility.
The Political Marketing Strategist emphasized that Ghanaians are discerning and astute, refusing to be swayed by the NPP flagbearer’s latest tactic, which he believes is a transparent attempt to manipulate voters.
He asserted that Ghanaians will not be treated like “mango minds” and will scrutinize the policy’s credibility.
“Whoever says it was a figure of speech, hyperbole, or whatever, whatever, don’t believe it. We all have seen the footage, it was propaganda- pure and simple – hoping that they can do what they did in 2016/2020. Now that I am calling them out for what it is, they are trying to change the narrative”.
Professor Kobby Mensah
Professor Mensah cautioned the public not to be taken in by the NPP flagbearer’s spin, warning that it is a classic case of spin doctoring designed to deceive and manipulate voters.
He urged citizens to look beyond the rhetoric and scrutinize the substance of the policy, rather than being swayed by clever wordsmithing.
In response to Dr. Bawumia’s pledge, Kofi Asare, Executive Director of Eduwatch Africa, sarcastically remarked that the NPP’s extravagant promises will miraculously transform Ghana into America overnight, even before the elections take place.
His comment echoes Professor Kobby Mensah’s skepticism, implying that such promises are unrealistic and misleading.
Ghanaians have criticized the policy, saying it’s misguided when over a million people are struggling with poverty, and the government should focus on addressing this pressing issue rather than offering smartphone loans.
NPP Clarifies Smartphone Credit Facility Promise
Meanwhile, the Director of Communications for Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s campaign, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, clarified the promise made by the flagbearer of the NPP to establish a credit facility allowing citizens to purchase smartphones and pay in monthly installments.
Dennis Miracles Aboagye dispelled the misconception surrounding the scheme, stating that, contrary to popular belief, an individual will not require an unrealistic 1,400 years to pay off the cost of a phone through the proposed credit facility.
Aboagye explained that the scheme is designed to allow individuals to purchase a phone and pay for it in small installments over an extended period, eliminating the need for an upfront payment that often bars low-income individuals from owning a phone.
“Indeed, the amount you pay on a monthly basis will depend on the cost of your phone. And the kind of phone that can be advanced to you on credit will depend on your affordability and your credit rating. The National Credit Scoring system will afford the Telcos an opportunity to make an assessment of the individual and provide the confidence to advance such credit to that individual”.
“Phone prices vary, if you get a phone that costs 16,000, that will determine how much you pay per month and the 1,200 cedis phone will determine how much you pay per phone”.
Dennis Miracles Aboagye
Aboagye highlighted the fact that there is a wide range of phone prices, from as low as 250 cedis to as high as 15,000 cedis, emphasizing that the credit facility can accommodate different price points.
The NPP Communicator explained that the credit facility is designed to enable Ghanaians who cannot afford a one-time payment to own their dream phone, by allowing them to pay in small installments over a period of time, based on their individual financial capacity.
“This can be 1cedi, 2cedi, 5 cedi, 50cedis, 200cedis, or even 500cedis a month, depending on the kind of phone and the payment period”. – Dennis Miracles Aboagye
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