Economist and GIMPA lecturer, Kwasi Nyame-Baafi, has stated that President John Dramani Mahama should have acknowledged the role played by the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) government in implementing economic measures that contributed to the relative stability of the cedi and other key economic indicators.
Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen show, Dr. Nyame-Baafi argued that the current administration inherited an economy that was already showing signs of recovery due to negotiations and policy interventions initiated before 2025.
He explained that the recent decline in inflation did not happen overnight but was the result of earlier measures, including the domestic debt exchange programme introduced by the previous government.
“Based on the statistics, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) contributed more to our debt situation from 2009 to 2016 than the New Patriotic Party (NPP). Both parties have contributed to the debt levels, but the current government is benefiting from the debt exchange programme, which the NPP undertook as a painful decision during their time in office. Therefore, the Mahama administration should acknowledge the NPP for that action,” he said.
Dr. Nyame-Baafi also questioned claims that Ghana ranks among Africa’s top-performing economies, pointing to rising public debt and demanding clarity on the projects driving continued borrowing.
“Additionally, the President gave the impression that Ghana only recently became part of the top economies in Africa due to his economic policies, which I disagree with. In 2016, our nominal GDP was around 219 billion cedis, and by the time the NPP left office, the GDP had crossed 1 trillion,” he noted.
According to him, while both the NDC and NPP have contributed to Ghana’s debt accumulation over the years, the Mahama administration is currently benefiting from difficult economic decisions taken by the NPP and should duly recognise those efforts.
Source: adomonline.com
