“We faced a major economic crisis that brought people onto the streets” – Akufo-Addo

Former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has acknowledged that his government’s waning popularity was mostly caused by economic difficulties and many public demonstrations throughout his administration.

Akufo-Addo discussed the economic turmoil that characterized his presidency, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, which had a significant negative influence on Ghana’s financial stability, when speaking at the book launch of a book written by former Nigerian Military President General Ibrahim Babangida.

He pointed out that the global health crisis caused economic disruptions in Ghana and other countries, resulting in a precipitous drop in economic activity.

Due to the lack of access to global capital markets, his administration was forced to look to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for financial support in order to stabilize the economy.

Akufo-Addo admitted that the ensuing financial difficulties stoked popular resentment and led to several demonstrations throughout the nation. He acknowledged that the protests were noteworthy enough to undermine public trust in his government, even though they were not as violent as the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) riots in Ghana and other African nations in the 1980s.

“We faced a major economic crisis and with the world’s capital markets close to us, we ended up going to the IMF. Not an easy decision to make. The economic difficulties brought people onto the streets.

“I will say that even though the demonstrations were not on the scale of the SAP riots that are recalled and described in the book, they were serious enough, feeding into the growing disaffection against the government.”

Source: Ghanatodayonline.com