By Ezekiel David
As Ghana struggles with its worst recession in decades, two well-known candidates are running for the country’s presidency and promising economic recovery.
Former president John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and current vice president Mahamudu Bawumia of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) have offered opposing visions for guiding the nation out of its current economic crisis.
After years of excessive borrowing, made worse by global events like the COVID pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine, Ghana defaulted on its external debt in 2022. A bailout from the IMF is in the works, subject to debt restructuring.
Mahama, who held the presidency from 2013 to 2017, pledged to tackle corruption, eliminate first-year university fees, and implement immediate tax cuts. “I will lead a ruthless war against corruption” and recover misappropriated assets, he declared.
However, his previous tenure was marked by criticism over economic mismanagement and power shortages, although he was never personally implicated in any wrongdoing.
Economist and former central banker Bawumia stressed fiscal discipline, pledging to cut public spending, simplify the tax code, and lower the number of government ministers. In order to fight unemployment, he also presented a plan to train one million young Ghanaians in digital skills.
With no party in Ghana’s history securing more than two consecutive terms, the December 7th election is poised to be a tight race.
(Source: Reuters)