The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has accused President John Dramani Mahama of taking credit for economic gains he insists were achieved under the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.
Responding to the President’s State of the Nation Address delivered to Parliament on Thursday, Afenyo-Markin described the speech as “a celebration without acknowledgment,” arguing that the current administration’s improved fiscal position and currency stability were the result of reforms and sacrifices made before Mahama assumed office in January 2025.
“Give to Bawumia What Belongs to Bawumia,” the Minority Leader said, maintaining that key stabilisation measures were implemented under former Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia.
He cited initiatives such as the Gold-for-Oil, Gold-for-Forex and Gold-for-Reserves programmes, as well as the strategic accumulation of gold by the Bank of Ghana, as policies that created buffers and boosted confidence in the cedi prior to the change of government.
According to Afenyo-Markin, the fiscal space currently enjoyed by the government was created through what he described as painful debt restructuring measures that affected bondholders under the NPP administration.
He further noted that by 2024, Ghana’s gross domestic product had crossed one trillion cedis for the first time, economic growth stood at 5.7 per cent, and more than 30 tonnes of gold had been accumulated.
“The groundwork was done; the plane had already taken off,” he said, adding that while there was nothing wrong with continuing effective policies, fairness required that credit be given to those who designed and implemented them.
In his address, President Mahama highlighted economic stabilisation and policy continuity as part of what he described as a broader reset agenda.
