Mahama throws open challenge to Akufo-Addo for debate on achievements

Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the December 7 elections, John Dramani Mahama, has thrown a challenge to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for a debate on infrastructural achievements.

John Mahama, whose first term presidency ended in 2016 after losing to Akufo-Addo, said recent debates about which of them achieved more in terms of infrastructure can be settled with a public debate.

“I am willing to present myself for a debate with Nana Akufo-Addo, any day, anytime, anywhere and we will settle the matter once and for all,” he said.

John Mahama threw the challenge to the President during a meeting with traditional leaders of Ho West in the Volta Region as part of his campaign tour of the region.

“I have recently been listening to debates about infrastructure. Our infrastructure record is there for everybody to see. And in 2016 when I was talking about the value of infrastructure, my friends on the other side said we don’t eat infrastructure; we don’t eat roads. That was what they said. Today I can see a scramble for even KVIPs and any infrastructure and they tout it as an achievement.

“But it is easy to settle the issue of infrastructure. After all, the President said this election is going to be an election of track records; comparing his track record with my track record. We can settle it easily. Let’s have a debate between the two of us. The two Presidents. Let Nana Akufo-Addo come and sit down. Let me sit down and let’s debate our records,” the former President said.

The debate about the infrastructural achievements between the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the NDC was stoked after a town hall meeting to tout the Akufo-Addo government’s infrastructural achievements on Tuesday, August 17, 2020.

Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, who addressed the town hall meeting, said among other things that the current government has undertaken more infrastructural projects than the previous administration.

He said since 2017, the government of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has initiated 17,334 infrastructural projects in this country, “of these, we have completed 8,746 and there are 8,588 ongoing.”

He further revealed that the Akufo-Addo administration is adopting a two-way approach towards infrastructural development in the country.

This approach, he said, makes it possible to cover all persons in the country under the project.

Dr Bawumia told the gathering, among which are ministers of state and other dignitaries, that: “our focus has been to provide infrastructure for all. That has been the focus. And our approach to infrastructural development in Ghana has been two-fold.

“First, to provide the infrastructure needs of the poor and deprived communities at the micro-level like water, toilets, clinics, electricity, markets. Many governments have ignored this historically.

But the NDC has rubbished the touted achievements of the NPP, arguing that the party achieved more.