The National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, John Mahama Dramani, has vowed to scrap non-essential projects such as the “One Village-One Dam” initiative if elected, redirecting funds towards more profitable ventures to bolster state revenue.
Mahama argues that the country’s current economic difficulties necessitate strategic policymaking, particularly in reducing government spending.
He criticized the incumbent government for its failure to curtail expenses while focusing solely on revenue enhancement.
“This government made many mistakes and we find ourselves in this crisis again and we need to cut down expenditure. This government is not willing to cut expenditure. In a crisis, you slash expenditure and increase revenues.
“All they are doing is increasing revenues but without reducing expenditure. We are going to eliminate all those wasteful projects; One Village-One Dam and all those things that they spent billions on so that we can use that money in the more productive sectors to make the economy grow again. Like Planting for Food and Jobs,” the former president said.
Mahama emphasized, highlighting his plan to eliminate what he deems as wasteful projects to redirect resources into sectors like Planting for Food and Jobs, aimed at revitalizing the economy.
In contrast, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, aspiring to succeed President Akufo-Addo, contends that their administration has prudently managed the economy amidst global challenges, including implementing expenditure cuts.
Speaking at Eid-ul-Adha prayers on June 16, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer acknowledged global economic impacts but stressed progress in steering the economy towards recovery despite setbacks.
“This has led to a series of uncomfortable situations for our citizens. Even though we are not yet where we want to be, which is back to the economic boom we experienced a few years prior to the crisis, data shows that our economy is on the path of recovery.”
He underscored the government’s efforts in reducing general expenditure, citing Finance Ministry data showing a total budgetary allocation of GH₵259 billion.
Amid ongoing economic challenges, there is mounting pressure on the government to downsize and prioritize policies to streamline spending.