Your claim that Akufo-Addo has largely reduced hardship false – Felix to Bawumia

A former Deputy Minister of Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has described as falsehood claims by Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has largely reduced sufferings in Ghana with prudent policies and programs.

Dr. Bawumia had said that his boss, Mr. Akufo-Addo has delivered on his promise to minimize the hardships Ghanaians especially, the youths are facing.

He said although challenges still remain in the country owing to the pandemic, the government of Mr. Akufo-Addo has through policies and programs managed the hardships in the country properly.

He said these in a Facebook post to mark the International Youth Day on Thursday, August 12.

He said “Yesterday, we marked the International Youth Day in Ghana and across the world. I would like to remind the youth of our dear country that the NPP promised to reduce the suffering Ghanaians were going through under the economic mismanagement of the NDC.

“After four years in office, what is clear is that even though many Ghanaians are facing challenging times especially as a result of the economic implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government of the NPP under the leadership of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has, through policies implemented, delivered largely on its promise of reducing the suffering of Ghanaians even though we have a lot more to do in that direction.

“Below is a list of what the NPP has done to alleviate the suffering of Ghanaians since coming into office compared with the status quo ante.”

But a sharp rebuttal also in a Facebook post, Mr. Kwakye Ofosu who is also a former Deputy Minister of Information said “This morning, the Vice President, Mahamadu Bawumia, has found it necessary to put out what he claims are the solutions his government has found to the problems of the teeming youthful population of Ghana as his contribution to the discourse marking International Youth Day.

“As usual, his claims are laden with ridiculous falsehoods and fabrications intended to mislead the uninitiated and less informed in our society. His falsehoods are many but I will provide facts shattering them in a methodical manner to the extent that time and space permit.

“His first set of claims are that (i) before coming to power in 2017, there was no public sector employment and (ii) since 2017, over 750,000 public sector workers have been employed. Both claims are gratuitous lies invented to cover up for their inability to resolve the massive unemployment problem.

“I have attached below, extracts from the official government of Ghana sources and publications outing the Vice President as a paragon of lies.

“On his first claim that there was no public sector recruitment before he and his boss came to power, these are the facts that destroy his lies. Between 2009 and 2016 under the NDC, tens of thousands of public sector workers were employed. Data contained in the Education Management and Information System(EMIS) operated by the Ministry of Education shows that over 70,000 teachers were employed.

“The Facts and Figures publication by the Ghana Health Service(I have attached an extract from page 24 of the 2017 publication) shows that the number of nurses employed increased from 24,974 in 2009 to 52,605 in 2016 meaning that 27,631 nurses were recruited over the period.

“Between 2009 and 2016, over 15,000 Policemen and women were employed. I could go on and on with numbers in other government agencies.

“On his second claim that this government has employed over 750,000 public sector workers in the last 5 years, his own budget statements expose him. Because public sector workers are paid with public funds, their numbers are captured in the budget statements over the years for budgeting purposes.

“Appendix 7 of the 2017 budget statement presented by Ken Ofori Atta clearly breaks down the staff strength of the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies(MDAs) at the beginning of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia administration and gives the total figure as 626,781. Appendix 7 on page 242 of the 2021 budget presented in March this year puts the total staff strength of the MDAs at 839,561.

“This means that the increase in public sector employee numbers in the last 5 years is actually 212,780 and not the hallucinatory 750,000 Mahamadu Bawumia is bandying about.

It is of course noteworthy that he provides no breakdown of the numbers and the reason is that it is a bare-faced lie!

“I will return with responses to other specific claims but I would urge all of us to verify before trusting anything the Vice President says because he has proven time and again that the dignify weight, and requirements of the office he occupies matters little to him and as such he would peddle any lie in so far as he perceives that it helps him to cover up for the horrific and hopeless governance he and his boss have unleashed on us.”