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5 quotes of President Akufo-Addo in 2019 Ghanaians will forever remember

Prior to his election in December 2016, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's oratory skills were known to Ghanaians.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo

The president is regarded as one of the best speakers in the country and his every public speaking event is anticipated by a lot of Ghanaians.

Though 2019 came with its challenges for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) led government, President Akufo-Addo wowed Ghanaians with some unforgettable quotes that will linger on for a while.

We took a look at 5 of these quotes and the occasions they were said.

Nana Addo on borrowing: Prior to the 2016 general elections, one of the main topics during the campaigning was about Ghana's external debt and the pros and cons of borrowing. The New Patriotic Party (NPP) at that time lambasted the John Mahama government for its excessive borrowing and promised to chart a different course when elected.

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However, since the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government was sworn into office in 2017, this borrowing tide hasn't changed and in responding to critics on borrowing, the president said in Nigeria: "We will borrow money; everybody borrows money. The United States of America is one of the biggest debtors in the world. So borrowing money is not necessarily a betrayal of the concept of independence. The key for us in borrowing money is that we borrow money to create assets that will allow us to pay the money back. That is the key…If we borrow the money and use it properly it is an asset for us in expanding our economy and infrastructure.”

President Akufo-Addo on Free SHS: One of the flagship policies of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government is the free Senior High School for all Ghanaians.

And based on its novelty, the president tends to tout its success at every political gathering or regional tours he embarks on.

In a regional tour of the Volta Region, Nana Addo said, "Free SHS is changing the face of Ghana."

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Nana Akufo-Addo on the economy: Though the health of the Ghanaian economy has been a debatable topic in the Ghanaian media in the last few years, the NPP led government insists it is growing exponentially.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) disagrees with this point, however, President Akufo-Addo said there are facts to show how booming the economy is now.

At the African Investment Forum in South Africa, Nana Addo said: "We inherited a situation with a large fiscal deficit, which has been turned around now; considerable imbalances in the way in which our economy was being run have also been turned around; a 15.4% inflation is today at 7.6%, the lowest in two decades. These are the building blocks for us.”

Nana Addo on NDC: The president threw a jab to his opponent John Mahama and the NDC at one of his regional tours in the Volta Region.

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Nana Akufo-Addo said: "My predecessor, John Mahama said that God brought the NPP so that Ghanaians can appreciate the NDC… Ghana has moved on to a new era of hope and progress. We have a leader who has no record…who has no prescription for the future, no policies for the future.

“We have never heard any policy coming from this leader about what is going to happen in the future…always negativity that is all we hear, Ghanaians have moved on. God is not so wicked to punish Ghanaians again with the rule of John Mahama and the NDC that is not what God is going to do”, the President added.

The president on the construction of a national cathedral: One of the controversial projects of the Akufo-Addo led government has to be the projected $100m National Cathedral project.

The Cathedral is estimated to cost the nation hugely but the government has clarified that it is not funding it, however, sections of the citizenry believe this information isn't accurate.

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In one of his defences of the project, President Nana Addo said: "Rather, and again like Solomon on that occasion, the building of the National Cathedral is to serve as a gesture of thanksgiving to God for his blessings, favour, grace and mercies on our nation, and to give me an opportunity to redeem a pledge I made to Him before I became President".

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