NPP working aggressively pursuing ‘Break the 8’ mantra – UPSA lecturer

The Dean of Graduates Studies at the University of Professional Studies (UPSA) Professor Kwaku Mensah Mawutor has said the ruling New patriotic Party (NPP) looks committed to governing the country beyond the usual 8 year cycle.

He said the NPP was not only trumpeting the slogan that suggests a they want to stay in power beyond 8 years but working towards achieving that feat.

Prof. Mawutor who was speaking on Dwaboase on TV XYZ Monday morning in reaction to President Nana Akufo-Addo’s recent statement about the mantra.

Delivering a speech at a gathering at the UPSA to mark the NPP’s 30 years anniversary, President Akufo-Addo urged the party to help him achieve his “last great political feat” of his career in Ghanaian politics by handing over to an NPP government in 2025.

Despite an economic nosedive that has forced the government to seek a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the NPP has held on to its coined phrase “Breaking the 8′ and rallying support from all party members and fanatics to help the party achieve its dream.

Prof Mawutor sees the NPP to be more united towards achieving the dream at all cost, saying “It is virtually on the lips of all of their activists. I watched them yesterday and when you see how united they are, you realise they have an agenda to pursue it.”

“Irrespective of where you find yourself, you always have to pursue your vision. And I think that is what I see in the NPP. They are bent on doing something that has never been done under the Fourth Republic — breaking the 8 (year jinx),” he told host Prince Minkah.

“The issue is that when you have a common purpose of heart, then it simply tells you where you are going and what you should do. I listened to the Chairman yesterday and he said the NPP need unity to break the 8,” he added while explaining that the current economic hardship cannot negatively affect the party’s electoral fortunes.

Last year, former National Organiser of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Yaw Boateng Gyan cautioned the leadership of the NDC about the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) ahead of the 2024 general elections

Commenting on the issue on Power FM, Boateng Gyan argued that “Break the 8′ can break the NDC in the sense that the NPP is planning to use every means necessary to retain power despite the hardships that have led to series of agitations in the country.

“I have heard these people [the NPP] talk about ‘break the 8’ campaign aimed at us,” he said “These people are dangerous and whatever they say they will do, they are able to do it.”


President Nana Akufo-Addo

He said if the NDC did not review their election strategy, the NPP can triumph over them through spurious means, citing the violence recorded during the last elections.

“They are not saying they will break the 8 for saying sake,” Boateng Gyan insisted.

Economic Outlook

Fuel prices have soared incessantly in the past seven months triggering inflation to hit almost 30 per cent, thereby heightening the prices of goods and commodities in the country.

Apart from that, the government has revised its macro-economic and fiscal targets in the 2022 budget due to changes in the macro-economic environment.

The government also pointed to revenue mobilisation challenges as a key driver.

Overall gross domestic product (GDP) growth which was projected at 5.8 per cent has now been revised downwards to 3.7 per cent, with non-oil GDP also reviewed downwards from 5.9 per cent to 4.3 per cent.

Ken Ofori-Atta is Ghana’s Finance Minister

The overall fiscal deficit has also been lowered to 6.6 per cent of GDP from 7.4 per cent, with the primary surplus down to 0.4 per cent of GDP up from a surplus of 0.1 per cent of GDP.

The Gross International Reserves which has also been revised to not less than three months of import cover.

The Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta announced these changes last week when he laid the Mid-Year Review of the Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government for the 2022 fiscal year, in pursuant of the Public Financial Management Act (PFMA), 2016 (Act 921).

“Mr Speaker, as I have already indicated, the macroeconomic environment has significantly changed, prompting the revision of the macroeconomic framework.

Furthermore, based on the developments for the first six months of 2022 and outlook for the rest of the year, we have accordingly revised the macro-fiscal targets for 2022,” he stated.

Experts have also warned the country’s debt levels could negatively affect the economy.