President John Dramani Mahama
Member of Parliament for Ketu North, Edem Agbana, has strongly defended President John Dramani Mahama’s assessment of the economy, describing it as an accurate reflection of the challenges inherited from the previous administration.
During his submission in Parliament, Agbana dismissed claims from the opposition that Mahama’s address was merely filled with lamentations, asserting that the president provided a truthful account of the state of the economy.
“The economy that President Mahama inherited, the economy that the NPP left behind, is actually the picture that President Mahama painted. And for some of us, we even believe that President Mahama was too modest in telling the people of Ghana the actual state of the economy that he inherited,” he stated.
He went on to highlight contradictions within the opposition, reminding them that even the former president admitted to leaving behind a struggling economy.
“The president himself, former President Akufo-Addo, indeed admitted that he was leaving behind a difficult economy. He said that in August 2023 when he stated that he knew he was leaving behind a difficult economy but expected a new leader to take us out of the challenges. If there was no challenge, why did the president then make such a statement?” he asked.
Agbana also pointed to a petition by 98 NPP MPs, who at the time demanded the dismissal of the then-Finance Minister due to the deteriorating state of the economy. He found it surprising that the same people who once called for the minister’s removal were now defending the NPP’s economic record.
Further backing Mahama’s claims, he referenced data from the World Bank and the Ghana Statistical Service, showing an increase in poverty and unemployment under the NPP government.
“The World Bank stated that over 850,000 Ghanaians were pushed below the poverty line due to high inflation. Unemployment also rose significantly, with nearly 2 million Ghanaian youth left without education, employment, or training,” he stressed.
Agbana ended his submission by urging Ghanaians to acknowledge the economic realities and trust Mahama’s leadership to steer the country toward recovery.