Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has launched a defense of the government’s performance in response to criticisms from the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
He questioned whether the NDC has alternative policies to offer, stressing the several achievements of the current administration.
“The NDC with John Dramani Mahama as President for four and a half years failed the people of Ghana. The same NDC MPs criticizing the current government were ministers during that period,” he stated.
The Majority leader was responding to the Minority’s criticisms of the 2024 mid-year budget review, which they described as uninspiring and bereft of ideas.
He mentioned the expansion of the School Feeding Programme as one of the key successes of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government.
According to him, when the NDC left office in 2016, only 1.6 million Ghanaian children had access to school feeding.
“Today, under the Akufo-Addo government, 4 million children are benefiting, covering nearly all primary schools in the country,” he said.
He also pointed to improvements in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and alleged that the NDC boycotted the health insurance policy when it was brought to Parliament during the John Kufuor administration.
He pointed out that the NDC inherited the scheme in 2009 but did nothing to improve during its eight years of power and by the time they left office in 2016, the NHIS was collapsing.
“Today this government is spending GH¢6.5 billion on health insurance claims, demonstrating our commitment to healthcare,” he said.
The Majority Leader emphasized the increased funding for the Livelihood Empowerment against Poverty (LEAP) program as one of the notable performances of the Akufo-Addo government.
The NDC, he said, by the end of 2016 had committed only GH¢49 million LEAP while in 2023, the Akufo-Addo government has allocated GH¢423 million to support poor households.
On education, Afenyo-Markin stressed the government’s investment in free Senior High School (SHS) education.
According to him, in 2017, the government committed GH¢400 to the Free SHS and pushed enrollment to 1.6 million, compared to the 800,000 under the NDC.
He praised the strides made in vocational and technical education by President Akufo-Addo, saying, “Vocational training in Ghana is now free, with a massive increase in enrollment. This expansion in education opportunities is a testament to the success of our policies.”
Afenyo-Markin dismissed the NDC’s claims of failure, stating that the government’s performance in social interventions and education reforms speak for themselves.