Private legal practitioner and director of legal affairs for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Edudzi Tamakloe, has stated that the current state of the nation is that Ghana is bankrupt.
He maintained that President Akufo-Addo presently cannot read what he read as the “real state of the country”, which he delivered on February 29, 2016, after former President Mahama addressed the nation.
Speaking on TV3’s New Day on Monday, February 26, Mr Tamakloe noted, amongst other things, that “today [President] Akufo-Addo cannot read that State of the Nation address”.
He continued by saying, “What he [President Akufo-Addo] called the real state, today, he would not be proud to even read”.
“Let the point be made clear, the state of Ghana today is that officially we have been declared bankrupt”, he added.
According to him, Ghana failed to service its external debts in 2023, emphasising that that was not the state of Ghana in 2016.
He also noted that the current cedi depreciation is nowhere near what was recorded eight years ago.
“The Ghana cedi is trading almost 13 Ghana cedis for a dollar. At the time, [President Akufo-Addo] delivered what he called the real State of the Nation address on 29th February, 2016, the Ghana cedis was trading for three cedis [and] six pesewas”, he stated.
He also chastised President Akufo-Addo for overseeing record-high inflation, which was nowhere near the 16% inflation that was recorded in 2016.
“…inflation at that time [February 2016] was less than 16 percent. Under the watch of [President] Akufo-Addo the reckless driver and his mate Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, [inflation] rose to 54 percent.”
President Akufo-Addo will, on Tuesday, February 27, 2024, deliver his last but one constitutional address on the state of the nation under his stewardship.
The address is expected to touch on all sectors of the country. The economy remains a critical theme ahead of the address amidst the country’s programme under the IMF.
Unemployment, education, health and security would also be keenly monitored, especially going into the December 7 general elections.