Change 'incompetent' Mahama government - Bawumia

The Vice Presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has charged Ghanaians to vote out the Mahama-led administration in the 2016 general elections.

According to him, the outcomes of the promised Better Ghana have been abysmal and the 2016 budget is no different adding that the economy has been deformed.

Read more: 2016 Budget is a 'Dead Goat Budget' - NPP

In critiquing the 2015 budget at a press conference at the party's headquarters in Accra Wednesday morning, Dr Bawumia said, "The reality is that Ghanaians are suffering and propaganda can't change it."

He said, "Change is coming, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo  is coming, a new government is coming."

Comparing the economy under the previous NPP government and the current NDC government, he said the government has accumulated about 72% of Ghana's external debt stock during the last seven years.

Read more: 'You can't manage the economy with propaganda' - Bawumia to NDC

He said every aspect of the economy has plummeted despite the availability of oil revenues which the Kufuor government did not have the benefit of.

According to him, "It is time for change and Ghanaians must own the change."

Read also: 2016 Budget is a 'Dead Goat Budget' - NPP

On the energy crisis, the former deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana said, "After several denials by government, it should be clear to Ghanaians that crisis is not the result of inadequate installed capacity; but rather a lack of financial resources to utilize the installed capacity. Installed capacity currently stands at 2,923 megawatts with a peak demand of 2,200 megawatts leaving excess capacity of 723.5 megawatts. But government is highly indebted to VRA and ECG; government owes ECG some 700 million Ghana Cedis and owes some VRA one billion. VRA owes its creditors including N-Gas of Nigeria and the West African Gas Pipeline a total of 1.3 billion dollars; this has compromised its balance sheet and its ability to import crude oil for the generation of power. Currently, VRA has shut down a number of its plants because it is unable to purchase fuel to run them. Ghana also owes Nigeria some 970 million dollars for which the country is struggling to pay."

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