Kojo Oppong Nkrumah
GOVERNMENT HAS welcomed the report of the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU) of the Economist which predicted victory for President Nana Akufo-Addo in 2020.
It has indicated that it would use the report to evaluate its policies and programmes to further improve upon the living standards of Ghanaians.
It would be recalled that EIU, in its latest report on Ghana, predicted that former President John Mahama is not a credible candidate as far as management of the Ghanaian economy is concerned.
As such, the report indicated that Mr. Mahama who is leading the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) into the 2020 Presidential Election would lose to President Akufo-Addo once again.
The 25 pages report says specifically that “the next national elections are due in November 2020.”
It adds that “Nana Akufo-Addo, the president, and his NPP will see the economic situation generally improve during the remainder of their terms of
office.”
According to the report, “in the presidential election, Mr AkufoAddo will face a challenge from John Mahama — Ghana’s president from 2012 to early 2017— who was elected leader of the opposition NDC in February 2019.”
It says “the 2016 legislative election was won by the NPP; the campaign was dominated by the faltering economy, which many Ghanaians still associate with Mr Mahama.”
It observes that “accordingly, the
Economist Intelligence Unit believes that it will be difficult for the NDC under Mr Mahama to portray itself as the better custodian of Ghana’s economy, especially as the country’s growth outlook is fairly strong.”
According to the report, “we therefore expect Mr Akufo-Addo and the NPP to secure re-election in 2020.”
It says “however, if the NDC can present a coherent opposition and hold the NPP to account on unfulfilled campaign promises — particularly on job creation and industrialisation, where progress has been generally slow and success patchy — the election could be closely contested.”
According to the Economic Intelligence Unit’s report, with the positive outlook for the Ghanaian economy, incumbent Akufo-Addo would retain the Presidency.
Government reacting to the report on Monday, May 20, through the Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, observed that “the Akufo-Addo administration reiterates its commitment to executing the change agenda, which as assessed by some external organisations including the Economic Intelligence Unit would lead to a re-election of the administration in election 2020.”
Commenting the EIU report and that of the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana which also predicted victory for Mr. Akufo-Addo, the Minister said “the Akufo-Addo administration views these reports first as feedback which enables us to evaluate our progress of work in creating prosperity and equal opportunity for all as stated in our 2016 manifesto.”
He noted that “Government assures the good people of this country that it remains committed to fulfilling its campaign promises notably: Rebuilding a strong economy, developing and executing strong flagship programs, transforming various aspects of our national life.
Specifically, Mr. Oppong Nkrumah indicated that “government to
maintain a strong economic foundation and outlook, ensure that political stability and security is not compromised in the short term and in the run up to 2020 elections.
Ensure that gradually more and more Ghanaians benefit increasingly from the national cake, guard against the risks highlighted in the report in order not to compromise on our collective progress.”
He noted that “for us this report is a reflection of the situation on the ground and confirms what a good number of Ghanaians already see and feel.”
He added that “Government will continue to study these and other reports with a view to continuing the good work and review policies where necessary.”