Mahama expresses concern about rising stock of debt | Politics

National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate John Dramani Mahama has expressed concern about rising debt under the Akufo-Addo regime, especially as the government has very little to show for the loans it has taken.

Addressing Kakasunaka residents in the Kpone Katamanso constituency on Wednesday as part of his campaign tour of the Greater Accra region, Mahama said that since 2017 the government has borrowed 157 billion GHC, thereby increasing the Debt-to-GDP ratio to an unprecedented 76.7%. .

“The recommended debt-to-GDP profile for a middle-income country is that we should not have debt to GDP greater than 60%. If you go over 60 percent and go to 70 percent or more, you are becoming heavily in debt, which is the same as HIPC. If we take that debt and divide it among all Ghanaians, including children, everyone owes almost 9000 GHC, ”he said.

Mahama was stunned by the rise in the national debt despite attacks on his mandate and promises by the then-opposition New Patriotic Party (PNP) that he was able to develop the country without loans.

He said that when the NPP was in opposition, it created the impression that Ghanaians were sitting with money but were hungry as a result of the policies of the Mahama administration.

“But today we are hungrier than in 2016. How many people can eat three full meals a day today? And the question you ask is, where is the money, 157 billion GHC, what have you done with it? Show us, ”he said.

Mahama said his government developed the country with the GHC56 billion it received in loans, adding that it can be seen across the country that his government invested in roads, school blocks, hospitals, water and energy expansion projects, among others. .

However, the NDC presidential candidate said that the moment of accountability is near and that December 7, 2020 is the opportune time for Ghanaians to make the right decision by voting for the NDC to win the elections and create opportunities and prosperity for all.

Mahama said, among others, that the next NDC government will focus on job creation, the implementation of free primary health care to ensure universal access to medical care, the implementation of Free Technical and Vocational Education and Training (T -VET), as well as the free technical and vocational education and training Apprenticeship Program.