Richard Ahiagbah, Director of Communications-New Patriotic Party (NPP)
Report by: Ishmael Barfi
The Director of Communications of the ruling party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagbah had dared the main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to provide alternative solutions to the economic hardships the country is facing due to global challenges
To him, the main opposition party NDC don’t have any proper alternatives to offer the people of Ghana.
According to him, the continuous false claims and tags by the main opposition party, NDC won’t stop the Akufo-led government from implementing result-oriented policies aimed at improving the socio-economic of the citizenry.
Therefore dared the main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to present a practical and result oriented alternative economic solutions than consistently making the NPP-led government unpopular with false claims and tags without considering the global economic realities.
Director of Communications addressing the press
The Director of Communications at the NPP made this remarks at a press briefing at the party’s headquarters in Accra on 22nd February, 2023.
The bi-weekly media engagement is to update the general public on the numerous interventions, policies and projects the NPP-led government is embarking on to restore the economy back to its feet, hence enhancing the socio-economic conditions of the ordinary Ghanaians.
And also to expose the numerous lies and falsehood peddled by the main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress in it’s quest to wrestle power in the 2024 general elections.
According to him, NDC has no moral authority and economic clout to criticize the NPP government after supervising a decline of the economic performance of the country from 2013 to 2016.
Projecting some of the abysmal performances of the NDC, he indicated that, “On the performance of the larger economy which is measured in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) the NDC supervised a perpetual decline from 2013 to 2016. In 2013, GDP was 7.3%; 2014 it was 4%; 2015 it was 3.9% and in 2016 it was 3.7%.”
He further explained that, in terms of percentage changes in GDP, the economy deteriorated by 45.2% in 2014 compared to economic growth in 2013, with a decreased in economic growth by 2.5% in 2015 and 5.12% in 2016.
In the real sector which includes agriculture industry and service, the Director of Communications pointed out that, the NDC had the worst performance, plummeting significantly in all sectors at a negative rate from 2014 using 2013 performance as a base.
‘Stop The False Claims & Provide Alternative Solutions’ – Richard Ahiagbah Dares NDC
To that effect, he explained that, the Mahama-led NDC government failed to maintain the successes chalked by the Kufour-led NPP government after inheriting an economy which had discovered oil in commercial quantities and began production in 2010, shooting Ghana’s GDP to 14% in 2011.
He therefore stressed that, the poor performance in the real sector showcased that the vulnerable in our society, the poor, the vast majority of Ghanaians were impoverished under Mahama-led government.
Touching on inflation, he revealed that, year-on-year inflation under the NDC government was 13.5 per cent in 2013 and 17 per cent in 2014, which further increased to 17.7 per cent in 2015.
Despite NDC inherited significant oil revenue inflows and International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme support in 2015, Richard Ahiagbah stressed that, Ghana’s economy continued not only to deteriorate, but also experienced sustained deterioration of the cedi against the US dollar.
He further went on to project that, “On GDP, in 2017, GDP grew at 8.1 per cent compared to 3.7 per cent in 2016 while in 2018, GDP grew by 6.3%, 2019 GDP grew by 6.5%, and 2020 GDP grew by 0.5%.
“In the Real sector, industry recorded its highest growth of 16.7% in 2017, Agriculture 8.4% and the Services sectors 4.3%. Industry grew from a mournful negative 0.5% in 2016 to 16.7% in 2017”.
Adding, “Services grew from 2.8% in 2016 to an appreciable 4.3% in 2017 whiles the Agriculture sector grew from a dismal 2.7% in 2016 to 8.4% in 2017”.
Based on the above data, he indicated that, the vulnerable in the society and the vast majority of Ghanaians lived in comfort under NPP in 2017, adding “Data is sacred an dared the NDC to challenge the data.
With regards to the over borrowing rumours by the NDC, the Director of Communications refuted those unsubstantiated rumours into the public domain.
Explaining that, the Akufo-led NPP government has sustained economic growth on all fronts until the COVID-19 disruption in 2020.
Mr. Ahiagbah was quick to assure Ghanaians of government’s resolve to “build back the economy quicker and restore fiscal rectitude” despite the economic challenges.
He therefore charged journalists to questions the main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress to produce evidences whenever they talk of over borrowing and mismanagement of the economy by the Akufo-led NPP government.
“This should be the discussion we need to have in your studios and not the lies and rumors”, he noted.
Touting the economic performance of the ruling party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) under His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the the Director of Communications, Mr. Richard ahiagbah has emphatically stated that, akufo-Addo led government will continue to be focus on enhancing the living condition of the ordinary Ghanaians.
Source: www.thenewindependentonline.com
