Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has recognized the ongoing challenges faced by Ghanaians but emphasized that their situation has notably improved since the days of former President John Mahama.
During a media engagement at the Accra-Movenpick Hotel on Sunday, August 25, Dr. Bawumia acknowledged the hardships Ghanaians endured, particularly during the 2016 election campaign, which he had used to advocate for change.
Despite these ongoing challenges, Dr. Bawumia pointed to substantial progress, citing the growth in gross domestic product (GDP), an increase in per capita income, and the creation of jobs as clear indicators of improvement.
He highlighted that since 2016, the government has taken significant steps to alleviate the suffering of the population, including the creation of 2.1 million jobs, maintaining public sector employment during the COVID-19 pandemic, and implementing social interventions such as the restoration of allowances for nursing and teacher trainees.
“I remember very well in my statement, teachers are suffering, doctors are suffering, nurses are suffering, journalists are suffering and everybody is suffering in 2016, which was the case actually in that regard. But I think that we have moved on significantly since 2016.
“And we can point to a few things, at the end of the day, you reduce suffering broadly, like creating jobs, so that you give people something to do. Or you bring in social interventions to ameliorate the problems, the hardships that are there.
He emphasised, “So, you need to look at what we have done. We have created at least 2.1 million jobs, and per capita income in cedi terms has gone up almost threefold. GDP has gone up, and per capita income has also gone up. We have kept all public sector workers employed.
“We didn’t lay anyone off during COVID-19. We have kept the lights on for 8 years, we suffered so much from “Dumsor”. Nursing and teacher trainees were suffering but we have restored their allowances. We have done quite a bit to reduce the suffering of people.
Dr. Bawumia acknowledged that while suffering persists, the government’s efforts have mitigated some of the hardships, noting that although the situation is not fully resolved, there are clear signs of progress.
“I think that, yes, the suffering is there, but we have done a lot of social interventions to ameliorate that suffering, it is not gone, but we can point to things that have gone in to reduce the suffering of our people,” Dr Bawumia stated.
