A General Secretary aspirant of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Fredrick Opare-Ansah, says the current difficulties faced by the citizenry are not peculiar to the country.

He said the current economic downturn is a global issue due to the effects of Covid-19 pandemic and the recent Russia-Ukraine conflict.

In an interview on JoyNews' The Pulse, Friday, Frederick Opare-Ansah stressed that the President has done extremely well in spite of the challenges.

“I do believe that President Akufo-Addo has failed. However, I do believe that things are difficult and the President himself has admitted that, and the Finance Minister has also come in and said the same, but it is also true that the current difficulties that we face as Ghanaians are not peculiar to us.

“It’s a worldwide thing which is influenced by two major factors. But people, especially our political opponents, do not want to accept them that Covid-19 has had a major impact on the global economy and so has the Russian-Ukraine conflict, but I do believe that the President has delivered on a lot of the major pledges that he made through the NPP manifesto and the numerous campaigns that were held.

"So it is my belief that properly communicated, properly analysed, Pound for Pound, we will see that the President has done extremely well," he said.

The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, recently reaffirmed the government’s commitment to transforming Ghana despite the global economic challenges.

Speaking at the Pentecost Convention Centre at Millennium City, Kasoa, on Thursday, April 22, Dr Bawumia said the Akufo-Addo government has been focused on undertaking major structural reforms in the Ghanaian economy by shifting from a focus on the production of raw materials to value addition.

Dr. Bawumia added that this will address the urgent need to change the structure of the Ghanaian economy and make it responsive to the realities of the time, especially as the world moves into the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

“Virtually every government in our history has noted the need for Ghana to change the structure of the economy through diversification and by shifting from the focus on the production of raw materials to value addition. This is a key pillar of Nana Akufo-Addo’s Ghana Beyond Aid agenda,” Dr Bawumia emphasized.