Credibility is a major ingredient not only in assessing the performance of a political administration such as we have in the sub-region, but also an asset when we come face to face with the realities of global partnerships.
In that regard, the difference between the New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress is several notches.
Of course, we admit that Ghana had enjoyed some modest working partnerships from the mid-80s till the ushering in and exiting of the John Kufuor administration.
Sustaining the gains
We were emerging in the sub-region as a major good governance state, with development partners like JICA, USAID, CIDA, OXFAM, DFID UK and several others supporting basic development on the ground, particularly in the then northern regions.
We were winning the war against poverty, underdevelopment and illiteracy as well as guinea worm and access to the national electricity grid.
But under JA Kufuor, we began to excel in social protection, particularly with the then severely under-serviced informal economy receiving boost. We scored well, too, in agriculture, particularly in the cocoa sector, aside of re-igniting the educational and health sectors.
That meant that Jerry Rawlings was credible, and so was JA Kufuor.
The late Prof John Evans Atta Mills’ feat in sustaining growth and moving it to some eight per cent added to the impetus and our national appeal as reliable and big players in the sub-region.
The deplorable dip
Under John Mahama, however, the perception by development partners and global financial analysts was that he broke the pot and slid Ghana back to an IMF programme, from an appreciable eight per cent growth, scoring worst in agriculture and below average in every sector.
Little wonder that after the controversial 2012 victory, he got so exposed that development partners began shunning him and pussyfooting on pledges made to Ghana because he put himself on record as a greedy African president.
That his name and that of his administration keep popping up in questionable international transactions further stain his and his administration’s image as government and President of the Republic of Ghana.
Akufo-Addo
As we do this piece, Ghana is set to take delivery of 1.5 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines from the Office of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
That is refreshing news that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s visit was constructive, culminating in support for our national COVID-19 vaccination exercise.
That is also an indication that the Ghanaian President has enough vision and credibility to attract development agencies and global partners.
According to development agency sources, far from the claims ludicrously made by Mahama’s barking dogs, Ghana will, by that support from the German government, be still leading in the effort in Africa to fight the pandemic holistically.
Our point is that while a good government may make mistakes along the way, it also keeps showing good faith and capacity to soldier on to victory.
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