Gov’t Won’t Be Swayed By EIU’s Report -Oppong Nkrumah

Government says it will not be swayed by the positive raves it recently got from the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU) that the Akufo-Addo administration will be re-elected in 2020. 

Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said, government is committed to executing the change agenda, as the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) promised Ghanaians prior to the 2016 election.

“For us, this report is a reflection of the situation on the ground and confirms what a good number of Ghanaians already see and feel,” he said at a media briefing in Accra, Monday.

The EIU said in a report on Ghana released recently that “Nana Akufo-Addo, the president, and his NPP will see the country’s economic situation generally improve during the remainder of their terms of office.” 

In the presidential election, it says Nana Akufo-Addo will face a challenge from John Mahama – Ghana’s president from 2012 to early 2017 has been selected again to lead the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The report, released on May 13, stated further that “the 2016 legislative election was won by the NPP; and the campaign was dominated by the faltering economy, which many Ghanaians still associate with Mr Mahama.”

Accordingly, “The Economist Intelligence Unit believes that it will be difficult for the NDC under Mr Mahama to portray itself as the better custodian of Ghana’s economy, especially as the country’s growth outlook is fairly strong.”

Reacting to the report, Mr Oppong Nkrumah said not only the has EIU predicted 2020 election victory but “a report was released not long ago by the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana which also presented similar outlook.”

“The Akufo-Addo administration views these reports first as feedback which enables us to evaluate our progress of work in creating prosperity and equal opportunity for all as stated in our 2016 manifesto,” he added. 

The Ofoase Ayeribi MP assured Ghanaians that the Akufo-Addo government is “committed to fulfilling its campaign promises notably rebuilding a strong economy, developing and executing strong flagship programs thereby transforming various aspects of our national life.” 

Dwelling on specifics, he said government intends to maintain a strong economic foundation and outlook, ensure political stability and security is not compromised in the short term and in the run-up to 2020 elections.

Mr Oppong Nkrumah said government will “ensure that gradually more and more Ghanaians benefit increasingly from the national cake and it will guard against the risks highlighted in the report in order not to compromise on our collective progress. 

Government will continue to study these and other reports with a view to continuing the good work and review policies where necessary, he stated.