Business executive and economic policy analyst, Senyo Hosi, has insisted that the current economic hardship in the country makes it imperative for the governing New Patriotic Party to stop thinking and talking about “breaking the 8.”

Instead, he says, the NPP should focus on salvaging the ailing economy and putting it back on a growth path even if policies to this end lead to electoral defeat.

Since it regained power in 2016 the NPP has been urging its supporters and sympathisers to work towards “breaking the 8” year governance cycle that the two main political parties have enjoyed alternately since the inception of the Fourth Republic. Until the economy took a nosedive in 2019 the NPP seemed very optimistic that Ghanaian voters will give it an extra four-year mandate in 2024, marking a departure from the 8-year cycle which appears to have become the norm.

With the economic downturn, however, the party seemed to have gone quiet on its “breaking the 8” campaign until the recent nomination of Vice President Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, as its presidential candidate for the 2024 elections. Dr. Bawumia has in various speeches after his nomination made clear his intention to campaign with the “breaking the 8” mantra.

“We speak about ‘breaking the 8’, but it’s important to remember that [it’s] more than just a slogan,” he said in his acceptance speech following his nomination.

“By breaking the 8 we break with a culture if complacency, we reject the tacit agreement that power is handed over every 8 years, thereby relinquishing responsibility for the growth of this nation. This 8-year cycle stands in the way of a long-term vision for Ghana, therefore breaking it is not about NPP bragging rights, it is about being able to successfully implement long-term visions and policies under a consistent leadership. Breaking the 8 is not about partisanship but about patriotism.”

Senyo Hosi, however believes the focus on “breaking the 8” could hinder the nation’s economic recovery as the NPP focuses on retaining power instead of taking the hard decisions to revive the economy. He says the government’s current programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will do little for the economy without a fiscal discipline “where you rise above your parochial interests and look into the future and think about the generations after your time.”

“I congratulate Dr. Bawumia but this is not the time for him to think and talk ‘break the 8’,” he said on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show.

“He should be talking about the sustainability of our country and the legacy that we can set right for the generations after him. We need to start taking [hard] decisions now. We can’t take them in 2025. We can’t lie to the public hoping we can get votes in 2025.”

Mr. Hosi added: “2025 is going to be difficult. Any government will find it difficult. The tolerance for the current government will not exist. The tolerance for the pain will be hard. So you need people to communicate right but you must be honest about the decisions that have to be taken. So, please, the people saying “break the 8”, stop breaking that 8. If it was for your rhetorics for your campaign, it’s over. Ghanaians need a proper story on how they can sustain the next 8. Not you breaking your 8. How they can sustain their own fate. How they can sustain their next 8 years. That’s the problem Ghanaians need to deal with. It needs fiscal discipline.”