Abena Osei-Asare, the Former Minister of State has stated Ghana needs a leader with vision and not one obsessed with revisiting the past.
According to Abena Osei-Asare, Sankofa yenkyi, but a leader who spends too much time looking back will eventually stumble.
She asserted that Ghana needs a leader with vision, not one obsessed with revisiting the past.
Abena Osei-Asare asserted that President John Mahama’s State of the Nation Address was more about looking backwards than moving forward.
In her comprehensive response, the Atiwa East MP after John Mahama’s State of the Nation Address, stated, “This State of the Nation Address was more about looking backward than moving forward. Mr. President, Sankofa yenkyi, but a leader who spends too much time looking back will eventually stumble. Ghana needs a leader with vision, not one obsessed with revisiting the past,”
“Ghana does not need more rhetoric—it needs strong leadership, a vibrant private sector, and policies that empower individuals to thrive. We must stand for the future of Ghana”, he added.
The former Minister of State added, “Instead, the President outlined a series of new programs, including the Agriculture for Economic Transformation Agenda (AETA), the Feed Ghana Programme, the One Million Coders Programme, and the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (MahamaCare), without explaining how they will be financed,”
A responsible government should focus on sustaining and improving the growing confidence in the economy before committing to large-scale social programs. Ghana cannot afford another cycle of reckless spending and fiscal mismanagement,”
“Instead of resorting to endless committees and dialogues, the President should get down to implementing the policies he campaigned on. Governance is about leadership and execution, not deferring responsibility through unnecessary consultations”, she added.
Abena Osei-Asare further fired shots at President Mahama for deliberately ignoring the economic recovery achieved under the previous NPP administration.
She added, “The NPP has never shied away from acknowledging the economic challenges that Ghana faced, but we took decisive and responsible actions to put the economy back on the path of recovery, culminating in the IMF giving the economy a clean bill of health,”
“Depositors’ funds were protected during the financial sector clean-up, preventing the total collapse of the banking industry.
“The banking sector’s total assets rose from GH¢81.2 billion in December 2016 to GH¢367.2 billion in October 2024. Private sector credit increased by 28.8% in 2024, compared to negative 7.5% in 2023, showing strong financial recovery”, the former minister stated.
She continued, “The cedi remained stable, moving from GH₵12.4 per dollar in December 2023 to GH₵14.50 per dollar in December 2024—a controlled depreciation considering external pressures”.
“He was quick to highlight the $250 million in the sinking fund at the end of 2016 but conveniently ignored the $1 billion due for external debt repayments in 2017, which the NPP had to manage”.
“Real GDP growth averaged 6.3% in 2024, led by Industry at 10.4%. We achieved a positive primary balance of 0.4% in November 2024 compared to the negative 1.4% of GDP in 2016. Total revenue exceeded its target by 3.3%. The signs of economic recovery were clear”, she mentioned.
