How competent Mahama managed to asphyxiate Ghana’s economy

By K. Badu

One has to admire President Mahama and his NDC apparatchiks for their incredible dexterity in disinformation metastasising, or to put it euphemistically, their adroitness in systematic propagation of propagandistic materials.

Interestingly, President Mahama and his clamorous apparatchiks are cunningly taking refuge in their much publicised infrastructural projects after failing to improve upon the hitherto booming socio-economic standards of living.

Paradoxically, though, it was the same President Mahama who gleefully asserted somewhere in 2008 that every government undertakes infrastructural projects and therefore it would be exercise in mediocrity for any government to hide behind such projects in the face of economic collapse.

Thus, it is somewhat ironic that President Mahama will then make a sharp ‘U-turn’ and claim that governance is all about putting up infrastructural projects.

The fact of the matter is that after failing abysmally to improve upon the fairly stable economy left by former President Kufuor; President Mahama has no option but to take refuge in his often non-existent infrastructural projects.

I must admit, though, President Mahama’s laid-back attitude in the area of the economy is nothing to write home about.

For instance, Ghana’s economic growth stood at a little over 14 per cent when President Mahama took over the presidency, but has incredibly managed to grow the economy backwards to a squeamish 4 per cent.

Moreover, President Kufuor left a total debt of around 9.5 billion Ghana Cedis in 2009. However, our total debt has ballooned to around 110 billion Ghana Cedis as of September 2016.

This means that President Mahama and his NDC government have added more than 100 billion Cedis within a short space of seven and a half years.

What’s more, the ever soaring inflation, the currency depreciation and above all the high costs of living are of a bother to discerning Ghanaians.

It is also excruciating to listen to President Mahama’s much touted, albeit often non-existent infrastructural projects.

Meanwhile, he is failing to address the existential ‘dumsor’ which is crippling businesses.

By and large, President Mahama’s negligence has contributed largely to the collapse of the economy, so why must he think that he deserve another term in office? I don’t think he deserves another chance whatsoever.

As a matter of fact, President Mahama has failed terribly to initiate expedient policies to overturn the failed policies of agriculture, food security, natural resource management, poverty reduction, resource allocation (e.g. in healthcare, education, finance, infrastructure ;supply chain management, humanitarian intervention logistics and security sector planning, amongst others.

All the same, the overarching question is: how long can we endure Mahama and his appointees persistent incompetence?

Ironically, a large number of NDC supporters are unhappy with President Mahama’s leadership style and have threatened on numerous occasions to show him the exit.

Recent examples of the supporters indignation are encapsulated in a number of publications: “NDC Supporters Threaten To Leave Party Over Preferential Treatment Given To John Dumelo, Mr Beautiful, Tracey Boakye and co” (ghanakasa.com).

The party faithful unhappiness continues: “Angry residents of Gbulung and its surrounding communities in the Kumbungu District of the Northern Region have threatened to boycott the 2016 polls if government fails to fix their road”.

“About a thousand of them including sub and youth chiefs, opinion leaders and assembly members, joined a massive demonstration on Wednesday August 17, 2016 to express their anger”.

“They held placards some of which read, “John Mahama stop sleeping, “NDC since 92 why,” “JM it is going against us why,” “We are tired, no road no vote,” “John Mahama, remember where you are coming from” (cityfmonline.com).

Amazingly, the NDC supporters in their ‘World Bank’ also took to the streets: “Ho residents in the Volta region, called the bluff of the Volta regional Minister, Madam Helen Notoso as they protested over the poor road networks in the municipality”. The aggrieved residents say they are tired of government’s failure to fix the bad roads in the area. “The protestors ignored warnings from the Police and the regional minister not to demonstrate without police protection”.

“The poor turnout did not however prevent the protestors from presenting a petition to the president through the regional minister”.

“Some of the demonstrators speaking to Starr News said the bad nature of the roads is making life unbearable for residents”. “They warned the governing NDC they are likely to lose more votes in the region in the upcoming 2016 elections if the government does not pay attention to their needs” (starrfmonline.com ; peacefmonline.com; ghanaweb.com ; modernghana.com).

I bet, Ghanaians would have been in a great mess if President Kufuor and his NPP government had not introduced social interventions such as the free Maternal Care, the School Feeding Programme, the National Health Insurance Scheme, the Mass Transport System, the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), the National Youth Employment Programme, now known as GYEDA, and many other social interventions.

President Mahama has indeed suffocated the heretofore thriving economy and the only escape route for discerning Ghanaians now is to vote for a positive change in the forthcoming general elections.