Today in History: Reckless economic management due to overspending during 2020 polls - Mahama

Former President John Dramani Mahama stated that the reason Ghana was facing economic challenges was because of the government's reckless spending during the 2020 elections.

"It is quite clear, in our case, that it was the desire to win elections at all costs that got the government to engage in unbudgeted consumption expenditure to create an artificial feel-good factor before the election 2020. It is this overspending that led to the very large deficit that has undermined the economy," he said.

Read the full story originally published on November 11, 2021, by rainbowradioonline

Former President John Dramani Mahama has opined that the government's poor and reckless management of the economy is due to overspending on the 2020 elections and not the effects of the pandemic.

The former leader says the current administration is only blaming their poor management of the economy for the economic effects of the Covid -19 pandemic.

Addressing the nation at the Kempinski hotel to end his tour of the 16 regions, Mr. Mahama said: "The government has attempted to conceal its appalling incompetence and recklessness in the management of the economy with the Covid-19 pandemic while the pandemic pose a global challenge to the global economy including ours.

"It is quite clear, in our case, that it was the desire to win elections at all cost that got the government to engage in unbudgeted consumption expenditure to create an artificial feel-good factor before election 2020. It is this overspending that led to the very large deficit that has undermined the economy."

He further stated that all African countries were hit by the outbreak, but they managed their economy effectively.

"Data from our neighbours and other comparative countries in sub-Saharan Africa who were also ravaged by the Covid -19 clearly shows that almost all of them kept their economies within manageable limits and have not been through the economic crisis that Ghana finds itself in today.

"Covid-19 did not affect us any more extraordinarily than it did to Cote D' Ivoire, yet their budget deficit for 2020 was 5.9 per cent, and their debt to GDP ratio stands at 49 percent. Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Niger and others have deficits below 7 percent while their debt to GDP is nowhere near the 80 percent that Ghana has recorded," he said.

He added: "The undeniable effects of Covid-19 notwithstanding, it is evident from the above that the government placed its inordinate desire to win elections above prudent economic management, and that is why Ghanaians are going through much suffering now.

"Long before Covid-19 struck, red flags had emerged, signalling mismanagement of the economy, we drew attention to this, but no corrective action was taken."