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100 days of Akufo-Addo give hope - Lecturer

By MyJoyOnline
Politics 100 days of Akufo-Addo give hope - Lecturer
APR 22, 2017 LISTEN

A lecturer with the University of Ghana Business School says the Akufo-Addo administration has started on a good note which gives Ghanaians renewed hope.

Prof . Godfred A. Bokpin said 100 days is not longer enough for a policy decision to bear fruit so he agrees with those who argue that government should be given more time before any proper assessment is done.

Speaking on Joy FM's Ghana Connect programme Friday, he said comparing how other new governments fared after taking office in the years 2000, 2008, 2012 and 2016 regarding the performance of the cedi it shows Addo-Addo government has done well.

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Also, he said considering the caliber of people appointed to serve in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) it signals hope.

“The president has been very smart in his mix or appointees. There are old and experienced, young as well as experts," he said.

However, Prof Bokpin said the presentation of the budget in itself does not show the President has done well by just presenting it.

“The budget just captures good intention, and at this stage of our development we cannot be mistaken intention for accomplishment…it needs a clear implementation strategy to translate into actuals because we want results,” he said.

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The Associate Professor said he feared the worst regarding President Akufo-Addo’s performance security wise given the divisions in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the run-up to the election.

According to him, there were arguments about whether he is capable of running his controlling his own party, “but I think that the president has been smart.

"That played out in the numbers in his ministry appointments and he has been able to tell Ghanaians that he is human."

“There have been surprises in terms of the actions of the Delta and Invincible Forces, but I want to believe it is something that they have to take seriously because security has implications.

He stated that since security is broad, it would be unfair to assess the Akufo-Addo government in that regard based on failure in some department.

Assessing how government has fared regarding energy, he said the uncertainty in the sector has reduced adding it is good to know that government is not only focusing on reviewing contracts but rather considering efficiency as well.

Government has said it is focused on transmission losses, generation losses as well as distribution losses and how to reduce them.

He, however, cautions that although these are good there are extra factors outside the control of government that must be considered.

Although Prof Bokpin who said the President Akufo-Addo government has done well so far also believes there should be more coordination between the MDAs to buy into the President’s vision.

He said they have done good so far.
Contributing to the discussion, however, Dr Godwin Etse Sikanku, a Communication lecturer scored the President started on the wrong footing considering the plagiarism issue in the President's inauguration speech.

He said Ghana became the laughing stock of the international community and opened itself up for ridicule on major international networks like CNN, BBC and their likes.

According to Dr Sikanku, the President's 110 appointments does the country no good considering that bigger populations have fewer ministers.

However, he praised the President's novelty in the manner in which he announced his appointments as well as his media friendliness and openness.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com

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