Former President John Mahama says the current economic crisis would have been prevented if President Akufo-Addo had heeded to his numerous cautions.

According to him, the biggest blame for the current tragic situation lies with the very people charged with managing the country, not with the covid-19 pandemic or the Russia-Ukraine war the government always attribute it to.

“I regret to say, this was all avoidable. Things could have been different, and I remain very convinced they could,” he stated.

Mr Mahama said this while speaking at an address dubbed ‘building the Ghana we want’ on Wednesday at the University of Professional Studies, Accra.

“The temptation to say I told you so may be strong, but we do not believe that this is the time for the vainglorious pursuit of vindication, and neither is there any room for gloating,” he said.

According to Mr Mahama, the problem is partly because the incumbent government since assuming office has not accepted responsibility for its actions.

“Even now, as Ghanaians continue to suffer, there is a desperate effort to shift blame.

“In almost a robotic fashion, Government and its hirelings recite in unison, that we are at this perilous juncture only because of COVID-19 and the Russia – Ukraine conflict, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary,” he bemoaned.

He added that because of COVID-19, the government received more than a $6 billion windfall from both domestic and external sources.

This he said should have been sufficient to protect Ghanaians against the disease and promote post-pandemic economic recovery.