Baba Jamal, you remember him. He is the former deputy minister for Eastern Region who attempted to steal the Akwatia Parliamentary seat from the NPP during the first by-election under the NDC administration in 2009. He employed terrorist tactics by openly declaring “Jihad” on the NPP, but his diabolical campaign fell short and NPP retained the seat.
Despite this shady past, President Mills not only failed to dismiss him, he actually rewarded him with a deputy ministerial post at the Ministry of Information. Apparently, the pack of lies that the ministry has been feeding Ghanaians is not coming at a fast enough pace so Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa needs a helping hand.
Not to disappoint, one of Baba Jamal’s first utterances as Deputy Minister of Information was – you guessed it – a complete lie. Responding to a statement by NPP presidential candidate Nana Akufo-Addo that Ghana can be transformed in 10 years, Baba Jamal said: “When he was the Foreign Minister, Ghana could only raise $540 million from the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA), but his colleague is now raising billions of dollars for development, so what is he talking about.”
First and foremost, the accurate amount of the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) was $547 million. The program disbursement began in August of 2007 to be continued over five years. So far only $234.7 million has been disbursed with another $312.3 million left on the table. The account has had a significant impact on agriculture in Ghana for which the Kufuor administration must be given credit.
Meanwhile the “billions” that Baba Jamal is referring to is the “Pawn Shop” loans totaling $16 billion from the Chinese. Remember that our oil industry is estimated to bring in roughly $20 billion over 20 years. This NDC government has recklessly mortgaged that revenue source to bring in the money today. And judging from the way it has mismanaged everything it touches, can this NDC government be counted on to manage the $16 billion effectively without its members embarking upon mansion building spree as they are currently doing?
Meanwhile due to its anti-America policies, this NDC government has left on the table $312.3 billion of absolutely free money for development. Who in his right mind would abandon that much free money to pursue a bad loan of $16 billion that mortgages our nation’s future?
To Baba Jamal, therefore, when you say someone has raised “billion,” be truthful and indicate that it is in bad loans as compared to a skillful negotiation, combined with fiscal discipline that earned Ghana the $547 million in the MCA. Ghanaians are entitled to know the difference.
