Some Minority MPs have criticised President Akufo-Addo for asking African leaders to stop begging.

The President made the remarks during the opening of the US-Africa Leaders’ Summit in Washington, D.C.

“If we stop being beggars and spend African money inside the continent, Africa will not need to ask for respect from anyone, we will get the respect we deserve. If we make it prosperous as it should be, respect will follow,” President Akufo-Addo said.

Responding to this, the NDC MPs said the President is the biggest “beggar” and does not have the moral right to advise others.

According to them, the President lacks the moral right to advise other African leaders to stop asking for foreign aid when he (Akufo-Addo) is indulging in the practice.

Speaking to JoyNews Parliamentary Correspondent, Kwaku Asante on Wednesday in Parliament, MP for Ashaiman, Ernest Norgbey, said the President is not being serious.

“I can only say the President is a joker, he is a joker. If he can be urging Africa to stop begging. What is he doing? Is he begging or not? He is the biggest beggar in this enterprise. Since day one that they swore him in, he has been begging till today. He is still begging IMF to come to our aid,” he said.

“I don’t understand the President himself. When you look at our budget now, the donor support is about 60 billion cedis. So if he said we should stop begging or borrowing, what does it mean? I don’t see any moral right he has to go and say all those things. And most of the programmes we are running are all donor support, therefore, he should come again,” MP for Amenfi West, Eric Afful added.

The MP for Ketu South, Dzifa Gomashie also added that “how can we go to the IMF and be talking about not begging? That is begging.”

“Going to the IMF is begging. As a citizen, I am saying that for as long as I can remember, I have heard the President on many platforms and the things he said that brought him into power. It is time for him to act it out. He has done six years, he has two more years to redeem himself.”

Ghana is currently before the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for an economic bailout with a staff-level agreement already acquired.

President Akufo-Addo, since assuming office, has also received numerous donor support from international agencies to cushion the economy.