Nana Akufo-Addo, flagbearer of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), has alleged that the government spent $10 million on printing presidential diaries.
The NPP flagbearer said the issue saddens him because a lot of Ghanaians continue to struggle on daily basis to earn a living while the government embarks on profligate spending.
He further lambasted the Mahama-led NDC government for failing to raise the needed capital to defray the almost $200 million debt the nation owed Nigeria’s N-Gas and the West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAPco). Government is said to have paid only $10 million out of the total amount owed N-Gas and WAPco for the supply of gas to Ghana.
Speaking at the International Conference of the NPP at the NH Grand in Amsterdam, Nana Addo said such wasteful spending must stop. “I listen to the disillusionment of the average Ghanaian with politicians who promise them relief and end up bringing them grief when they get into office.
I listen to the journalist who is saddened by the revelation that a government can spend $10 million to print presidential diaries. Yes, you heard me right; $10 million. And yet we are barely able to scrape together $10 million as a down payment on our debt to Nigeria for the supply of a truly essential product – gas,” he said.
NPP will do things differently
Nana Akufo-Addo further assured that his government is committed to doing things differently when he elected President in 2016.
“We have shown both with our philosophy and our policy actions that ours is the party that believes in the wellbeing of the individual. We believe in enterprise because we know that when business thrives society benefits from the profits of enterprise,” he said.
He said his government will push for policies that will create more jobs, promote low taxes, ensure access to affordable and competitive credits and make investors feel comfortable on their investments.
“We will then create the hundreds of thousands of jobs that the young people of Ghana are yearning for… Ours is not to create, exploit and benefit from divisive politics. Ours is to sell equal hope to every Ghanaian. We are committed to a one united Ghana because we believe in equality between ethnic groups; equality of rights and equality of responsibilities,” he added.
