My Imaginary End-of-Year Interview With President Akufo-Addo (Part I)

Interviewer (BA): Mr. President, what’s up? It is really nice to get the chance to talk to you one on one since becoming the president. First, l just want to let you know I’m not going to use the title “Excellency” throughout this interview because I’m fully aware that particular title may not mean that much to you. More significantly, you already have two relevant titles—Nana and president of the republic—under your belt so who cares if anyone calls you “Your Excellency” or not; it does not take anything away the fact that currently you hold the highest title of the land—President! So, l hope you will be okay with it if I address you with the coveted title of “Mr. President” as it is done here in United States.

President Akufo-Addo (PAA): Yes, you get that right! I don’t really care about that “meaningless” title, anyway. You know true democrats do not worry about vague titles such as “Your Excellency.” As the country’s former top diplomat (foreign minister), I try to be diplomatic about it when people address me as such. By the way, I feel great in spirit and in health…And you know l have energy and hot blood running through me like a sixteen year-old boy chasing antelope in the backwoods of Kyebi Mountains. In fact, it’s good to talk to you, too. It has been a long time talking to you personally. If my memory serves me right, the last time we talked one-on-one was somewhere in April 2012 when I met some Ghanaians living in Atlanta, USA, and you were there among the crowds to meet me, right?

BA: Surely, I was there in the Marriot Hotel that day in the upscale Atlanta-Buckhead suburb when you came in there as then presidential candidate Nana Akufo-Addo about six years or so ago. Okay, on the more serious note, let us talk about policies or the visions of President Akufo-Addo administration…And the best place to start is your landmark Free SHS policy and its impact on Ghana’s education both on short- and long-term basis.

PAA: As you’re aware, although hard work plays crucial part in every human endeavor, all forms of education, especially from the basic levels, hold the master keys to the door of development in all modern societies. My government’s main vision is to ensure that all Ghanaian children of school age get the opportunity to have formal education from elementary to high school level regardless of their socioeconomic backgrounds. You have been living in the US for a while, and as a teacher/educator yourself in American college, you can testify to the serious emphasis American policymakers, at the local, state, and federal levels, place on K-12 education. I don’t think in the United States when it comes to education people start worrying much about the cost or who is behind the introduction of a given education initiative as opposed to the quality of the program. lt is obvious these advanced societies have come to understand that ignorance is far more costly than education so they dare not play with it.

To be honest with you, I have no regret; and if l were to implement the Free SHS again today, no question about it I will still do it and try to identify and solve whatever problems that come along with the implementation. No policy of this magnitude in any part of the world would be problem-free. My NPP-led government expected to encounter problems or challenges right from the Free SHS implementation phase. But, the assurance here is, irrespective of its challenges, I’m highly confident when all the chips are down sooner than later, Ghanaians themselves will start telling the full success story of the program.

BA: So you don’t have any iota of regret regarding how the Free SHS program was first implemented and its ensuing challenges upon which some groups of Ghanaians, such as the main opposition party, cynically exploited them and created some doubts in the country about the viability of the Free SHS? Among some of their major critiques are the cost-effectiveness and the claim that your government did not consult or involve all the education stakeholders as well as experts before actual execution of the program?

PAA: Regret about what…trying to help the struggling parents or the poor, many of whom have brilliant children but can’t afford to send them to school because of fees/tuitions? Then, what is the essence of government? A government that can’t provide basic education for its future leaders is a government that belongs to the stone-age; at least, that is my understanding of democratic government. Plus, education in the social media age is a right and not for the privilege few or only for the rich who can afford. As indicated, there is credible reason(s) the advanced economies spend huge sums of money to offer free education for their children from kindergarten level to high school (K-12): Strong democratic governance can’t take roots without high literacy rate or high level educated citizenry.

Let me reaffirm this: The Free SHS has come to stay and it is non-negotiable as far as my administration is concerned. Moreover, I’m not going to sit here and panic over what the ex-president Mahama and his NDC backers have to say about every step I take as the president of the republic. This is not new to me or I think many of you know this, too. Just count how many times these people on the other side of the political divide have said any constructive thing about my government? For many of them, the political calculus is to keep repeating that nothing under Nana Akufo-Addo-led administration is working; the world is about to explode because the NDC is not in charge; and, the fundamentals of the nation’s economy today is crumbling from within although the contrary is truly the case. Sometimes it is frustrating to realize that some Ghanaians do not seem to see the true picture of Ghana about two years ago and the direction the country is heading today. It is simply incomparable; but, they say the empty barrel makes the most noise. These “fat cats” in the NDC were in power for about eight years where they have all the time under this universe to consult any expert as well as all the educational stakeholders, including building new schools throughout the country to enable them implement the Free SHS, but it didn’t happen. I came to power and started the Free SHS, and now all of a sudden here comes Mr. Mahama and his followers claiming with boldface that they know all the problems and the solutions to make the Free SHS works efficiently. Why they didn’t do it long time ago? Does any fast-thinking Ghanaian believe these claims? Come on, Ghanaians, l think we know better than these cheap talks from these latter-days national problem solvers congregated mostly within the NDC empire.

BA: Mr. President, I understand the frustration here, and I can see you are getting a little excited, to put it mildly. How about we postpone the interview and continue next week? I know it is a long day and you have other important things to do. If you don’t mind, next week we are going to discuss galamsey, the economy in general, the cries about the building of the national cathedral, the second coming of ex-president Mahama, the role of the media, and many more. They sound good?

PAA: It sounds good to me; we can continue where we left next week. I have a lot on my chest to let out. I will see you shortly, God willing.

BA: Thanks, Mr. President, and we will talk again next week

Bernard Asubonteng is a US-based social commentator.