Why must NDC expect meat on the rotten bones so soon?

If we revisit memory lane, it was Ex-President Mahama who knowingly claimed that they, (NDC government) had licentiously consumed all the meat on the bone.

Former President Mahama, as a matter of fact, was speaking in parables in relation to Ghana’s unprecedented economic collapse, as a result of mismanagement and rampant sleazes and corruption under his watch.

Even though, it is somewhat humdrum to keep belabouring the point about the sorrowful state of Ghana’s economy under the erstwhile NDC administration, for the sake of balanced annotation, it is important to state the facts anyhow.

It is, indeed, extremely disturbing to keep hearing and reading from the same people who wilfully collapsed the once thriving economy, carelessly shouting from the roof top about the current state of Ghana’s economy after eleven years of NPP government.

How could individuals who revoltingly threw Ghana’s economy deeper and deeper into the mire turn around and accuse the embryonic NPP government of economic mismanagement in barely eleven months in office?

In fact, it was the same NDC government that spent excessively and above its means, and in the process needlessly increased our total debt from GH9.5 billion in 2009 to GH122.4 billion as of December 2016.

This means that there was virtually no money left in the national purse for the incoming NPP government to manage the affairs of the country.

It does however appear that the vociferous minority NDC operatives have no regard for accepted rules and standards. This may explain why the clamorous opposition NDC operatives are bizarrely up and arms about the NPP government’s prudent spending on capital expenditure.

It is, indeed, boundlessly illogical for the minority NDC operatives to expect the NPP government to spend monies they don’t have, notwithstanding the fact that it was the same people who abhorrently emptied the national coffers to the dismay of the discerning Ghanaians.

But despite the economic mess left by the erstwhile NDC administration, the current NPP government under the able leadership of President Akufo-Addo has estimably undertook a number of social interventions.

Since assuming power, Akufo-Addo’s government has taken commendable strides to improve the social mobility through implementation of poverty reduction policies such as free SHS, one district one factory, one million dollars per constituency, tax reductions, a dam per village in the northern part of Ghana, among others.

And despite the huge economic mess created by the outgone NDC government amid stunted economic growth, Akufo-Addo’s government has efficiently raised the economic growth from a disappointing 3.5 per cent as of December 2016 to around 7 per cent within a short space of time.

Upon taking office, the NPP government has dramatically reversed the inflation rate to a little over 11 per cent from a little over 15 per cent as of December 2016 (GSS 2017).

And what is more, the currency exchange rate was around GH4.55 to 1 U.S Dollar in as of December 2016. However, due to the NPP government economic team’s prudent approach to management, the exchange rate stands at GH4.37 to 1 US Dollar as of October 2017 (BOG 2017).

If you may recall, prior to the 2008, 2012 and 2016 general elections, the then presidential candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo, made free SHS his principal campaign message. As it was expected, the opposition NDC communicators scoffed endlessly, and labelled him an inveterate liar.

Incredibly, however, some Ghanaians, including my maternal uncle, fell for NDC’s manipulating gimmicks and disappointingly rejected the offer of the free SHS on two previous elections (2008 and 2012).

But lo and behold, discerning Ghanaians saw the light and eventually gave the free SHS provider, Akufo-Addo the mandate on 7th December 2016.

And true to his word, President Akufo-Addo has estimably honoured his promise of the poverty alleviation free SHS.

Somehow, my maternal uncle, who vehemently campaigned and voted against the free SHS in 2016, is going to pocket not less than GH16598.49 over three years.

It is absolutely true that Akufo-Addo’s government is tackling the erstwhile Mahama’s government economic mess head-on.

Take, for example, a few days ago, the finance minister presented the 2018 budget, against the backdrop of an improving macroeconomic performance and falling inflation.

It is also worth mentioning that agricultural growth was around 7.4 per cent in 2012, but the erstwhile NDC government abysmally reversed it to around 2.5 per cent as of October 2016 (GSS 2016).

But as I write, the Ministry of Agriculture, under the able leadership of Mr Owusu-Akoto, has prudently rolled out a flagship programme known as ‘planting for food and jobs’, which is expected to give us bumper harvests, and, more importantly boosts the agricultural growth.

Based on the current favourable economic outlook, I can confidently state that the economy is heading towards the right direction under the able leadership of President Akufo-Addo.