The Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, has justified former President John Dramani Mahama’s criticism of the state of the Ghanaian economy, arguing that the country is in near-total collapse due to the policies of the Akufo-Addo administration.
Citing economic indicators and statistics, the Majority Leader lamented the significant depreciation of the Ghanaian cedi, the struggling cocoa sector, and the deterioration of key state institutions.
He noted that in 2016, when Mahama left office, one U.S. dollar was equivalent to four Ghana cedis. By 2024, the exchange rate had ballooned to 15 cedis per dollar, at times even exceeding that value, marking a depreciation of over 250%.
Concluding debate on the State of the Nation Address (SONA) in Parliament last Friday, the Majority leader said, “So, Mr. Speaker, these are the statistics. Why would President John Dramani Mahama not lament?” he asked.
“If you go and read biblical history and understand what the Book of Lamentations is, you will understand the need to lament.”
He compared Mahama’s concerns with the biblical Book of Lamentations and emphasized the dire state of various national sectors.
“We will lament because the cedi has collapsed. We will lament because the cocoa sector has collapsed. We will lament because all those state institutions have collapsed. We will lament because the banking sector has collapsed. We will lament because almost every institution, including ECG, has collapsed. Every single state institution is witnessing negative growth. Every state institution is highly indebted. When you meet a country in such a condition, why won’t you lament?” he stressed.
Hon. Mahama Ayariga criticized the previous government for failing to address corruption and pointed to the findings of the Afrobarometer report, which revealed growing public distrust in the government’s integrity and economic management.
According to the report, 77% of Ghanaians believed corruption had significantly increased in 2024, while 71.7% considered the president and his officials to be corrupt.
“Even before elections, 87% of Ghanaians thought the country was headed in the wrong direction. And it wasn’t Mahama saying this—it was the people of Ghana,” he stated.
The Majority Leader also pointed to the worsening unemployment crisis, revealing that as of 2022, 50% of Ghanaians were actively searching for jobs but remained unemployed. He also noted a growing disillusionment with democracy, with 48% of the population beginning to doubt the system’s effectiveness in addressing their needs.
“When you leave your kraal in the care of a hyena and you travel, don’t be surprised if all the cattle are missing. And when that happens, you have nothing to do but to lament,” he said, using the metaphor to drive home his point.
Despite the grim picture painted, the Majority leader expressed hope that Mahama’s return to office would bring a turnaround, arguing that the current administration had already demonstrated better leadership within its first 100 days.
“Today Professor Stephen Adei says that in less than 100 days in office, Mahama is the best president since Nkrumah’s time. So hope is coming. The people can see that a good leader is on board,” he said.
