It's an election year and of course, it will be characterised by campaign-based moves by political parties. Already, there have been some elements and semblance of campaign in public speeches, pressers and the likes held by political parties on some platforms.

The two major political parties; the New Patriotic Party (NPP), and the Opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), have been at the forefront of some of these.

A day ago, on Wednesday July 29, 2020, Ghana’s Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia took to his Facebook page, to share a list of 50 achievements of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, side by side, John Dramani Mahama’s failure. Per his post, these are enough evidence to prove that Mr. Akufo-Addo has performed better than Mr. Mahama.

Barely hours after, there was a counter reply from the NDC’s camp. In a similar post, they also enumerated 60 achievements of the former President, John Dramani Mahama. They, like the NPP, covered areas including health, education, infrastructure and the likes.

This is what both parties said and presented in their respective pieces:

ECONOMY:

Bawumia on Akufo-Addo’s achievements:

Nana Akufo-Addo has presided over higher economic growth in his first three years in office before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nana Akufo-Addo has reduced inflation. Bank lending rates have reduced under Nana Akufo-Addo.

Under Nana Akufo-Addo the depreciation of the cedi has been reduced by 50%.

Nana Akufo-Addo has abolished 15 taxes including excise duty on petroleum, VAT on financial services, real estate, domestic airline tickets, etc.

Nana Akufo-Addo has reduced import duties by between 30% and 50%.

Nana Akufo-Addo on the has rescued the financial system and spent GHC 21 billion to save the deposits of 4.6 million depositors who would otherwise have lost their savings. DKM depositors will also be paid.

NDC on John Mahama’s achievements:

John Mahama’s government inherited an economy that was running a high deficit, with increasing inflation and interest rates characterised by a rapidly depreciating currency.

He recalled the forum at Senchi and said it was an attempt to forge a consensus for a home-grown fiscal consolidation programme, noting that the outcome eventually became the basis for the International Monitory Fund (IMF) Extended Credit Facility (ECF) programme that the country was implementing.


AGRICULTURE:

Bawumia on Akufo-Addo’s achievements:

Akufo-Addo increased agricultural output and Ghana is currently exporting many food items as a result of the planting for food and jobs initiative.

NDC on John Mahama’s achievements:

The government of Mahama increased the number of rice maize, yam harvesters.

Additional emphasis has been put on grain storage facilities and the creation of bore holes for agricultural purposes.

Agricultural mechanisation service centres was established. His achievements include reviving cotton farming in the Northern Ghana.

Between 2009 and 2011, the government also rehabilitated several irrigation dams in the Greater Accra, Volta, Ashanti and Brong Ahafo Regions.

Ghana produced more than 1m tonnes of cocoa in 2011, a significant increase over the output in 2008, which stood at about 680,000 tonnes.


INFRASTRUCTURE, ROADS AND TRANSPORT:

Bawumia on Akufo-Addo’s achievements:

Nana Akufo-Addo has revived the railway sector.

Nana Akufo-Addo’s government has invested massively in infrastructure for rural and deprived communities as well as urban communities.

NDC on John Mahama’s achievements:

John Mahama’s tenure of office had some of the most massive investments in the road sector in the history of the country. Some of the road projects include; Achimota-Ofankor, Awoshie-Pokuase, Sofoline, Tetteh Quarshie-Adenta. the Kasoa overhead bridge, Cocoa roads across the country, New bridge from Flower Pot Roundabout on the Spintex Road over the Accra-Tema Motorway to East Legon.

In terms of School Infrastructure – A total of 1,856 out of 2,578 basic school projects have been completed under the Schools Under Trees programme. The remaining was due for completion. A number of teachers bungalows, education offices, sanitation blocks and 203 out of 232 classroom blocks includes the SHS E block have been completed.


ENERGY:

Bawumia on Akufo-Addo’s achievements:

Nana Akufo-Addo has reduced electricity tariffs. John Mahama presided over four years of dumsor Nana Akufo-Addo has kept the lights on.

Nana Akufo-Addo has provided free electricity for lifeline consumers and free water to all for 6 months during COVID-19.

NDC on John Mahama’s achievements:

He deployed emergency plants and sped up the completion of ongoing plants resulting in the addition of more than 800 megawatts (MW) of power within 18-months.

The Energy Sector Levy and ongoing works to restructure the legacy debt of the power utilities, which helped to stabilise the power situation.


HEALTH:

Bawumia on Akufo-Addo’s achievements:

Nana Akufo-Addo has implemented one constituency one ambulance and revived the national ambulance system.

Nana Akufo-Addo is digitising the hospital administration with Korle Bu and Cape Coast hospitals going paperless.

Nana Akufo-Addo has rescued the NHIS and reduced the arrears to the normal 3 months.

NDC on John Mahama’s achievements:

During his tenure in office, a large number of health professionals trained under his administration to improve the healthcare delivery system of the country.

Health Projects: - District Hospitals each with a capacity of 120 beds at Dodowa, Fomena, Kumawu, Abetifi among others. District Hospitals each with 60 bed capacity at Tepa, Nsawkaw, Konongo, Salaga, Twifo Praso and the 100 bed Madina hospital, 120-bed Bekwai Hospital

The expansion in the utilisation of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). In 2015, the out-patient utilisation of NHIS stood at 29 million, up from nine million in 2008.

The NHIS on the whole had also been improved under his administration to ensure that people, including the vulnerable, had access to quality healthcare.

Teaching Hospitals, Regional hospitals, Institutional Hospitals, Polyclinics, Health Centres, CHPS Compounds, Eye Care Centre at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital

National Medical Equipment Replacement Programme: This US$264 million initiative has ensured the provision of critical diagnostic and treatment equipment for over 150 hospitals nationwide. These include all Teaching Hospitals in Ghana (Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, 37 Military Hospital, Tamale Teaching Hospital and Korle Bu Teaching Hospital), all Regional Hospitals, 125 District Hospitals, 14 Health Centres and 8 mobile clinics.


EDUCATION:

Bawumia on Akufo-Addo’s achievements:

Nana Akufo-Addo promised to and has implemented Free SHS. 1.2 million children have benefited, many girls and boys have been taken off the street, parents have been relieved of the burden of school fees.

Under Nana Akufo-Addo the scholarship application process has been digitized and have awarded 70% more scholarships!.

Nana Akufo-Addo has implemented Free TVET.

Under Nana Akufo-Addo, government absorbed the cost of BECE and WASSCE exam registrations

NDC on John Mahama’s achievements:

The John Mahama government continued to support the provision of free textbooks and uniforms to pupils in public schools, and it has restructured and enlarged the school feeding program.

The provision of 10,000 free sandals to eligible pupils. This was his initiative to follow through on raising the quality and inclusiveness of education for everyone in Ghana.

The school shift system, through which pupils run shifts due to lack of adequate classrooms, has now been eliminated in many of our communities. In Wa, Sunyani, Tarkwa, Dansoman, Krachi Nchumuru in the Oti Region and many other areas, school children can no longer skip school to play truant in the name of the school shift system.

In the area of Accelerated ICT Education, his administration improve upon ICT at the basic level, 81,000 basic school teachers were trained to enable them acquire the requisite skills in the use of ICT in teaching and learning.

A total of 54,500 laptops were procured and distributed to basic school teachers and 60,000 laptop computers were distributed to public schools across the country.

Bills passed in his administration which includes Technical University Act, Act, 2016 (Act 992). This made some of the polytechnics change to Technical Universities.

To facilitate the management of education delivery the Mahama-led administration procured and distributed 500 vehicles to the educational institutions-senior high schools, universities, colleges of education and polytechnics.

Under the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD), the Mahama led administration rehabilitated 345 KG classrooms, constructed 1,347 KG blocks and provided 1,875 KG tables and chairs.


SOCIAL PROTECTION:

Bawumia on Akufo-Addo’s achievements:

Nana Akufo-Addo has established the Zongo Development Fund and the Ministry for Inner City and Zongo Development which are addressing the needs of zongo and inner city communities.

Nana Akufo-Addo has provided free electricity for lifeline consumers and free water to all for 6 months during COVID-19.

NDC on John Mahama’s achievements:

His administration helped cushion the poor and vulnerable, many social protection programmes were introduced.

The number of people benefitting from schemes such as the School Feeding Programme, the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) and the Eban card, had been expanded to cover majority of the poor and vulnerable population in the country.