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Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson has strongly criticized the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, labeling it a “monumental failure.” He accused the administration of wrecking the livelihoods of Ghanaians and driving the country’s economy into the ground.
Speaking at the launch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) manifesto in Winneba, Dr. Forson expressed concern over the heavy tax burden imposed on both businesses and individuals. He highlighted Ghana’s declining economic standing, pointing out that the nation lost its position as the second-largest economy in West Africa to Côte d’Ivoire in 2022. “As of the end of 2016, the size of Ghana’s economy was 55 billion Ghana cedis, representing the second in West Africa while that of Côte d’Ivoire was 48 billion Ghana cedis, third largest in West Africa,” Dr. Forson stated. He added that “in 2022, Ghana’s GDP was 72 billion dollars while the Ivory Coast was 75 billion dollars,” marking the first time in Ghana’s history that Côte d’Ivoire surpassed it in terms of GDP.
Dr. Forson blamed this economic decline on the NPP’s mismanagement and announced that an incoming NDC government would launch a $10 billion initiative called the “Big Push” to stimulate economic growth and transformation. He emphasized that “this Big PUSH is aimed at driving the needed focus and investment for economic growth and transformation,” and is essential to reversing the country’s downward trend.
Further criticizing the NPP government, Dr. Forson accused them of decimating the cocoa sector, squandering public funds, eroding good governance, and undoing years of progress in the country. “The NPP government has been a monumental failure,” he stated emphatically. “They have destroyed our livelihoods, and they have indeed driven our economy aground. They have collapsed Ghana’s cocoa sector; they have wasted and dissipated Ghana’s public funds.”
Dr. Forson also condemned the government’s “crude and painful haircuts” across various sectors and accused them of corrupting the nation’s moral fabric and engaging in state capture through the “Agyapadie” scheme. He concluded by calling for unity, saying, “The time has come for us to come together to restore and reset our country.”