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11.04.2019 Feature Article

Italian Journalist Impressed About Nana Akufo Addo’s Leadership

Italian journalist, Lorenzo Lamperti and Nana Akufo AddoItalian journalist, Lorenzo Lamperti and Nana Akufo Addo
11.04.2019 LISTEN

Apart from what Africans say about the efficiency of their presidents, there are many ways to find out if an African leader is doing well or not, especially, if you can speak other languages. So as usual, I visited one of my favorite Italian newspapers to make research if I can find any article about Nana Akufo Addo’s performance in Ghana.

It didn’t take five minutes to find an article about Nana Addo, written by an Italian journalist, Lorenzo Lamperti, entitled “Ghana, stabilità e indipendenza dalla Francia: il pil cresce più della Cina.” English translation- Ghana, stability, and independence from France: GDP is growing faster than China.

Recently, on the Cathedral issue, I compiled articles written by other foreign papers and wrote an article entitled “The foreign media demoralizes Nana Addo’s credibility,” many were angry with me because I failed to quote the sources. Experience is the best teacher they say, this time, I will do that.

According to journalist Lamperti, not just problems and poverty, but in Africa, there can also be democratic development and stability. For example, Ghana is a country outside the Francophone countries, but its Gross Domestic Product is growing faster than China.

The article written on April 1, 2019, begins with Nana Akufo Addo’s speech, “We can no longer pursue a policy for our countries and regions that are based on the support given by the West, France or the European Union. This has not worked and it will not work,” Akufo-Addo told a joint press conference with Macron, who was visibly surprised by the statements made by the Ghanaian president.”

"It was December 2017, when Nana Akufo-Addo, president of Ghana, spoke these words in Accra, one meter away from Emmanuel Macron, the French president who was on an institutional visit to the African countries," writes Lorenzo Lamperti.

Today, just over two years later, Ghana has left the International Monetary Fund's aid program. In its place, starting April 3rd, the economic program of Akufo-Addo, the "Ghana Beyond Aid," is underway to ensure Accra will go ahead with its own strength.

Then the Italian journalist writes about “the economic re-launch of Ghana,” saying: Having benefited from a € 925.9 million credit line, Ghana now looks ready to walk alone. All macroeconomic values ​​are improving, from sustainable public debt to unemployment and now down to around 5 percent.

The latest figures published by the Ghanaian statistical body show the return to sustained economic growth: in 2017. The annual GDP increase was 8.5%; in the first three quarters of 2018 at 6.1%.

In the last semesters, positive dynamics are also recorded on the inflation rate, progressively falling from the peak reached in March 2016, when the price increase reached 19.2%. In February 2019 inflation stopped at 9.2%.

According to the Italian writer, the numbers indicating the growth of the economy convinced Nana Akufo Addo not to ask for the extension of the credit program.

On the other hand, the Ghanaian Gross Domestic Product is now growing faster than that of China. China, according to 2017 data, Ghana is the first commercial partner; with over two billion dollars in imports and nearly two and a half billion exports, concentrated in the oil and gas sectors.

Meanwhile, France is not even among the top eight interchange partners, instead, India, USA, Switzerland, United Kingdom, South Africa, Holland, and the United Arab Emirates are listed, a Unicom for Africa in particular for the north-western and central areas, where the presence of the former French empire is always very present.

The Italian journalist concluded with: Africa’s development is possible, saying Ghana, a former British colony until 1957 and geographically surrounded by countries of the so-called Francophone is an example of how Africa can also bring development.

The development of Ghana comes from the wealth of oil fields concentrated on its coasts, not to mention that the country is among the first cocoa producers in the world, as it is at the top of the global rankings for gold exports.

Unfortunately, as evidence, in other African countries, the wealth of natural resources are not enough to improve the lives of the people. (He didn't explain the reason), yet he is happy about the democratic stability and security in the country, which currently spares Ghana from terrorism and extremism of various kinds.

Source of the article in Italian: http://www.affaritaliani.it/politica/geopolitica/ghana-africa-francia-cina-pil-crescita-596850.html?refresh_ce -

@LorenzoLamperti

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