A flagbearer hopeful of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Mahama has asked President Akufo-Addo to take responsibility for the current economic hardship. 

According to him, had the President listened to his early cautions, the country would not be in the current economic turmoil it finds itself. 

The former president thus criticised the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia administration for the hardship Ghanaians are experiencing now. 

Mr Mahama has thus urged the government to accept responsibility for the situation. 

“What is making it difficult for them to govern is that they are not people who listen to advice. 

"They never accept their mistakes, so they are not able to learn from their mistakes. Notwithstanding the poor state of Ghana’s economy, still they are not accepting responsibility.”

He made these comments as part of his three-day ‘Building Ghana we want together’ campaign tour of the twenty-three constituencies in the Central Region.

Ghana is currently before the Bretton Woods Institution for a $3 billion bailout. 

As a result, government has renegotiated its domestic debt and is on course with foreign partners as well. 

However, critics of government have argued that the government went to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) late. 

For instance, the National Communications Officer of the NDC has said President Akufo-Addo’s intransigence is what has delayed the country’s IMF bailout.

According to Sammy Gyamfi, government failed to act on the advice former president, John Dramani Mahama proffered. 

Speaking in an interview with TV3 on Wednesday, March 21, he said had government gone to the Bretton Woods Institution earlier following Mr Mahama’s counsel, the economy would not have deteriorated to crisis level. 

He thus berated President Akufo-Addo and his government for failing to listen and seeing the signs of this economic turmoil. 

“I get very surprised when our friends in the NPP speak like that and say that we have no policy alternatives because it is either they have a listening problem or they simply do not understand simple language or simple issues. 

“Were they not in the country when we held the ‘Ghana At Crossroads Lecture” addressed by His Excellency John Dramani Mahama at Kempinski Hotel and outlined 11 policy measures for the consideration of this government.

“At that event, former President Mahama was the first person in this country to call on the government to go to the IMF as early as possible to salvage what was left of this economy. 

“If they have listened to that wise counsel, we would not have ended up there later on a stretcher and maybe we could have taken advantage of the DSSI programme of the IMF,” he said.