Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) National Chairman, Freddie Blay, has praised former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his administration for what he described as remarkable efforts in managing Ghana’s economy amid global challenges.
Speaking in an interview on Joy News, Blay emphasised that the government deserves credit for steering the economy through turbulent times caused by external shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war.
According to him, while Ghana faced inflationary pressures and currency depreciation in recent years, these challenges were not unique to the country. He argued that the government’s interventions, including social protection programs and infrastructure development, mitigated the worst effects of the crisis.
He said, “In terms of performance, and I’m being very sincere with you, I think Nana Akufo-Addo’s government did very well.”
“In terms of handling the economy, building infrastructure, building institutions in this country — both political and security institutions — hospitals and education,” he added.
Blay further asserted that the government’s record on job creation was unmatched.
“I think his government did very well in terms of even providing employment. In the history of this country, that government did extremely well,” he stated.
He also noted that critics should evaluate the government’s performance within the context of unprecedented global economic disruptions rather than isolated indicators.
The comments from the former NPP chairman come at a time when discussions about the country’s economic performance dominate the political landscape, as Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson works to stabilize the local currency against major trading currencies.
Blay also acknowledged that the NPP fell short in engaging its grassroots members — a gap he believes may have had political consequences.
He stated, “Maybe the only thing we failed to do was to carry along our membership, a greater portion of our members, and some got quite frustrated, and therefore refused to go vote.”
