Agbogbomefia of the Asogli state, Togbe Afede XIV, has strongly criticized the government of Nana Akufo-Addo in his latest publication titled “Our Self-Inflicted Monumental Economic Crisis.”
Togbe Afede XIV expressed dismay in his book about what he perceives as the arbitrary implementation of policies under the Akufo-Addo government, attributing it to the current economic challenges in Ghana.
The traditional ruler particularly voiced concerns about corruption and the extravagant lifestyle in the country. He highlighted that despite Ghana being a poor country, the government continues to spend beyond its means, leading to excessive borrowing to finance its expenditure.
“We are poor, earn so little, but spend the way even the most affluent countries would not on things which are not necessary.… quite obviously, not much thought or planning appear to have gone into some of the choices we made. We all were witnesses to the rushed introduction of the Single Spine Salary Structure and the Free SHS Programme and the sudden and reckless cancellation of road tolls without adequate planning. Many other programmes have been decided without any idea where the required resources would come from. And very soon, our small country will be boasting of three international airports while our internal road network remains very poor.
“We also set targets without detailed roadmaps defining required actions, their timing, and their effects as was the case with the E-levy, which failed to bring in the expected revenues. All these, combined with corruption, made budget shortfalls and excessive borrowing inevitable,” part of the book reads.
The chief also criticized the government’s commitment to proceeding with the construction of the National Cathedral of Ghana, citing the challenges the country is currently facing.
“When Houphet Boigny built the 18,000 capacity Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, in Yamousokro in 1990, 32 years ago, Ghanaians mocked at him. Little did we know that decades later, we will be attempting to outdo him with our own National Cathedral,” he wrote.