Bawumia, Mahama Debate Is The Only Means For Ghanaians To Determine Who Is Fit To Govern-Afenyo-Markin

The Majority leader in Ghana’s parliament, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin has reiterated the challenge thrown by vice president, Dr Mahamadu Bawumia to former president John Dramani Mahama to a debate.

According to the leader of Government Business, a debate between the two, flagbearers of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is the only way ghanaians could compare and determine between the two who is best suited to manage affairs of the country.

He assured of the readiness of vice president Bawumia to debate issues even as he awaits his investiture on January 7, 2025 to run the economy on digitalisation.

The Effutu lawmaker who echoed the call during a press conference in parliament on Tuesday July 24, 2024 querried what alternative policy solutions the NDC has to offer Ghanaians after serving 8 years in government with Mr Mahama as vice president and president of the republic.

He indicated that the NDC and its officials who presided over failed policies initiated during the NPP administration have no locus to criticise the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government.

Mr Afenyo-Markin mentioned for example that, the School Feeding Programme had only 1.8 million beneficiary school children during the NDC era as compared to the current 4 million children benefiting from the programme under the NPP administration.
He also stated that the National Health Insurance introduced by the NPP collapsed under the NDC with only Ghc 1.6 billion expenditure on the scheme as compared to the current Ghc 6.5 billion being spent by current administration on the scheme.
Additionally, the Majority leader said, the NDC regime in 2026 spent Ghc 49 million on the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme as compared to Ghc 423 million expended by the NPP government.
On Free Senior High School (SHS) funding, the majority group leader accused the Mahama led-NDC government of committing just Ghc 25 million to senior high school education in 2016 but only 12 million was released to that effect.
The NPP government upon assuming office in 2017, he said dedicated Ghc 400 million to the Free SHS policy in its first budget of March, 2017 whiles making vocational and technical education free.
The caucus called president Mahama not to runaway from debating Dr Bawumia.

He alleged the NDC cannot show any educational infrastructure in the country apart from the less than 25 E-blocks completed as compared to NPP regime.

By: Christian Kpesese