Opinions of Monday, 8 January 2018

Columnist: Issah Fuseini

It’s one year of President Akufo-Addo's government

President Akufo-Addo President Akufo-Addo

I write to disagree with the assertion that H. E President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government in its first year is greeted with violence, misfortunes and underperformance. Dr. Omane Boamah in his article titled "One year of President Akufo-Addo's government", said "It has been one year full of intrigues from the NPP Government. The hopes of Ghanaians have been dashed".

I wonder what Dr. Omane Boamah was trying to explain, was he talking about economic performance? Or corruption perception? How does the economy performed for the past one year? What definition has been given to Nana Addo government in terms of economic performance?

One definition of economic performance of a country may be perceived; but others may be physically measurable. I do not want to dwell too much on the economic theories that may not mean anything to the man in the street just like me. Nevertheless, we sometimes hear of national incomes, gross domestic/national product, and so forth. What they mean to us in the street is simple, and that is: How many of us are working, paying taxes and increasing the national coffers?

The larger the national purse, the better affordable the government is in undertaking statutory development projects such as building roads, schools, hospitals, affordable homes; rural electrification, transport, and so forth. We shall look at more of these under jobs below. Did we see anything of the sort from the Mills Government over the last 365 days? The answer is big YES.

Honestly speaking, NPP has performed creditably well, NPP has done well. If you remove the political spectacle and you really want to be honest and sincere to yourself, you will realise that NPP has performed creditably well just within a matter of one year. So I disagree entirely with those who hold the view that nothing has changed. I believe that as human beings, once the party is human organised, human oriented, human controlled, eventually our people will be expecting that we should live up to a 100 per cent but depending on the angle you are looking at the achievements, in all honesty, the party has done well.

No political party in Ghana a part from Nana Addo government in the fourth republic, has introduced social intervention policies in its first year in government. This government in its first year has introduced social intervention policies like, the free SHS, reintroduced Teachers Training Allowance, Nurses Training Allowance, One District One factory, Planting for Food and Jobs, Hand Pollination on Cocoa farms, etc.

The NDC government spent eight years in government without any single remarkable social intervention policy. Their attempt to introduce social intervention policy in the northern region ended up with massive corruption of create, loot and share.