Chartered economist, Bernard Oduro Takyi says the collapse of the economy through reckless borrowing and dubious deals cut by the Akufo-Addo government has shifted the attention of Ghanaian electorates to the 2024 flagbearer of the NDC, John Mahama.

The youth activist who was speaking on the Gumbe Show on TV XYZ Thursday evening noted the Akufo-Addo government was led by “ponzy scheme managers” who have swindled Ghanaians after bragging that they could alleviate poverty and transform the economy upon the assumption of power.

The NDC member who is also known as ‘B.O.T’ told host Piesie Okrah that there has come a time that “nobody should compare the achievement of the NPP to the NDC” due to how the economy has collapsed under Akufo-Addo resulting in the reeling of all sectors of the government architecture.

He was reacting to the 2-day tour of the NDC flagbearer, John Mahama, to the Western North Region to interact with party executives and the chiefs of the area.

Yearn for Change

During the tour, the Omanhene (paramount Chief) of Bodi, Nana Kwasi Ofori Ababio decried the poor state of roads in his traditional area.

He described as unfortunate what he described as total neglect, particularly the suspension of cocoa roads which would have been completed by now to enhance the movement of goods and services to improve the lives of people, mostly farmers who feed the nation.

According to him the unfortunate development has forced commercial drivers to ply other routes resulting in the unfortunate death of many pregnant women, who have had difficulty commuting to major health facilities for care and treatment.

The development comes after the Akufo-Addo government halted all ‘cocoa road projects’ which were sanctioned under the erstwhile Mahama administration to rehabilitate roads leading to the rich cocoa-growing areas in Sefwi.

Earlier, the Sefwi Wiawso Manhene Okatakyie Kwasi Bumangama II  slammed government for giving them false hope during engagements before the creation of new regions.

According to him, the impression about massive development once Western North is hoved out of Western region is lacking.

“Akuffo Addo said he has given us region but the region is incomplete” – Okatakyie Kwasi Bumangama II lamented during his interaction with former President John Mahama who paid a courtesy call on him and his subjects on Day One of his two-day tour of the region.

Analysing the rousing welcome Mahama received in the area coupled with goodwill messages to him, B.O.T said the reactions from the chiefs indicated that they were fed up with the Akufo-Addo government that has been promising them for the past 7 years without any concrete developmental projects in these areas replete with rich natural resources the nation feeds on.

“I have always said that the NPP kept lying to Ghanaians and now they have been caught up in their own lies,” he said in Akan while pointing that the NPP is a ruthless capitalist party that focuses on “property owning democracy.”

“I was in the NPP and had to cross to join the NDC at a point so I know what I am talking about. When I was with them, I kicked against that philosophy,” he said. “When the NPP is in power, they don’t care about the poor people; all they think about is what they can amass using the power the people gave them.”

He said the huge amounts of borrowing under the NPP went into consumption, thereby pushing Ghana’s economy to a junk status and the government had to run to the IMF for a bailout.

“The NPP government has shown that the NDC is far better than them because all their policies have failed and the result – the hardship being felt is just as the famine witnessed in 1983 where people could not find food to eat. Today, there is food but people cannot buy due the bad policies…It has never happened in this country, not even under Rawlings’ military regime, that people have to protest for the dividends of their own investments. And this is because Akufo-Addo had messed up the economy miserably,” he emphasized.

To him, the deception that has been exposed by the economic mess has shifted Ghanaians’ attention to Mr Mahama who has governed the country before.

“Most Ghanaians saw what John Mahama did in 4 years. The amount borrowed wasn’t much but they were pumped into prudent projects which are benefitting the country. talk of Accra Digital centre, the KIA terminal 3, good roads and the likes. So i feel the NDC and the NPP aren’t the same.

“Whoever says these two parties are the same is a disappointed NPP supporter. The NDC is a social democratic party and the NPP builds up wealth for its leaders alone instead of working for the people,” he averred.