Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) John Dramani Mahama has accused the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo-led government of “borrowing for consumption”.
He said despite borrowing more than three times than he did while in office between 2012 and 2017, there is nothing to show for the current development.
“They borrowed three times more than I did in my time and if you ask what was done with about $54 billion that was borrowed, I mean you can see examples of it all over the place,” he said in an interview on TV XYZ on Sunday, August 23 at the end of his tour of the Volta and Oti regions.
He cited the expansion of the ports, construction of railways, roads, schools and hospitals as evidence of the investment of his borrowing, for which he was lambasted in the run-up to the 2016 elections.
“People can physically see what that money was used for.”
He stressed that the situation is contrary in the case of the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government.
“Unfortunately in this case, you don’t see anything. In social-economic, in infrastructure, you don’t find anything.”
He emphasised: “What has happened is this government has borrowed for consumption and that’s the tragedy.
“When you borrow you don’t use it for consumption. you borrow in order that you can invest in the real sector and capital development.”
He called on the youth of the nation to be concerned about the rate of borrowing under this government.