Nana Akomea: Mahama lacks leadership to solve economic problems

A former Minister of State and Member of Parliament, Nana Akomea, says the solutions to Ghana’s economic problems are there but it is lack of discretion from leadership that is deepening the country's woes.

He said President John Dramani Mahama knows the economic challenges better than many experts, but lacks the expected leadership to turn things around.

Nana Akomea was speaking on TV3’s News @10 on Thursday, June 5 regarding a re-echo of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s analysis of the country’s economy by Professor Kwesi Botchwey, a former Minister of Finance.

Nana Akomea noted that even the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had reiterated Dr. Bawumia’s utterances about the economy.

“What [Prof. Botchwey] said is not new and I don’t expect anybody with an objective mind to say anything different,” the Former Information Minister said.

Prof. Botchwey last Tuesday expressed concern about Ghana’s economy in a lecture delivered at the Central University College.

The longest-serving Finance Minister said the country is living beyond its means as government has only 18 per cent of total revenue for development projects since 82 per cent goes into payment of government workers and servicing of public debts.

Nana Akomea said Prof. Botchwey’s observations of widespread disaffection and frustration among citizens are not new to government, pointing out that the recently held National Economic Forum in Senchi brought out nothing new.

“If NPP had gone, there was nothing new that [members] would have said.”