Akufo-Addo’s gov’t has already lost steam – Adongo

The Minority spokesperson on Finance, Isaac Adongo has described the Akufo-Addo government as one that has “lost steam and gasping for breath” based on the government’s answers to questions from journalists at the Flagstaff House on Tuesday.

According to him, the government demonstrated that it did not have a full grasp of the challenges facing the economy.

Speaking to Eyewitness News, Mr. Adongo said the government based some its comments and assessment of the economy on inaccurate figures.

“If you listened to the President carefully and particularly Bawumia, you can see a government that is gasping for breath, this is a government that has basically lost steam, a government that has lost focus…and you can see the litany of inaccurate figures with some of them based on complete lies,” he said.

He said the government cannot claim to have improved the economy of the country within its 6 months in office because most of its policy interventions aimed at addressing the economic challenges are yet to be implemented.

Mr. Adongo noted that any improvement in the economy could only be attributed to the investments of the erstwhile John Mahama administration.

“This is a government whose budget program was approved on the 31^st of March and as at the 1^st of June most of the policy interventions including the tax cuts have not been implemented. They should mention one specific policy intervention that would have brought about an improvement in the economy other than John Mahama’s investment in the oil sector and improvement in the prices of gold on the international market,” he said.

Commenting on the response the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia gave to a question asked by Citi Breakfast Show host, Bernard Avle about the country’s increasing debt, Mr. Adongo accused the Vice President of churning out wrong figures to deceive Ghanaians.

The Bolgatanga legislator added that the government was worsening the country’s debt profile but giving false assurances its recent borrowing would rather the country reduce its debt stock.

“… On the debt profile, You add $44 billion to the debt profile, and you say that at the end of the year, your debt profile will come down. How is that possible? Bawumia says the deficit figures was 9.4%… The budget that was presented by his own Ministry of Finance and it tells you Ghana’s deficit was 8.6% so where is he getting the 9.4% from? You hear Bawumia consistently basically lie about statistics and we allow this to go for free and this cannot continue because he is now the Vice President he shouldn’t be churning out lies to convince the people,” Mr. Adongo said.

Meanwhile, a deputy Minister for Information Perry Okudzeto has said the government deserves all the credit for the improvement in the country’s economy.

He said the government despite inheriting a poor economy from the John Mahama government, has managed to turn it around and showing sings of great prospects.

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Source:citifmonline.com