Achievement should decide Ghana’s next president, not currency depreciation – Otchere-Darko

A political strategist and private-practice lawyer, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, has urged Ghanaians to look beyond the depreciation of the cedi when deciding who should lead the nation in the December 7, 2024, general elections.

He affirms that voters should instead focus on the achievements and visions of the two leading candidates and their respective parties.

In a post shared on his X handle on Monday, December 2, 2024, Otchere-Darko highlighted that both the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have presided over significant depreciation of the cedi during their time in office.

Under John Mahama’s eight years as Vice President and later as President for the NDC, the cedi devalued by 71%. Similarly, during Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s tenure as Vice President under the NPP, the currency has seen a 72% drop, reaching GHS15.24 to $1 today.

Otchere-Darko argued that judging a candidate solely on currency depreciation is not a fair or productive metric, as both parties have struggled with the issue, regardless of its underlying causes.

Instead, he urged voters to assess what each party has achieved despite these economic challenges and to evaluate the articulated visions and leadership qualities of the candidates.

“Rightly so, people are comparing these 8 years of NPP (with Bawumia as Vice President) to the 8 years of NDC when Mahama was President and Vice President, in helping to decide on December 7 whether to give Bawumia his chance or give Mahama another chance.

“But I do not think using currency depreciation as a yardstick is useful because both parties have not done well with the currency, whatever the causation may be. NDC saw to a 71% devaluation of the cedi from 2009 to 2016 (GHS1.24-$1 to GHS4.27), with the devaluation rate worse between 2013-2016,” Gabby Otchere-Darko’s X post read.

“Under NPP we are seeing a 72% drop, with $1 for GHS15.24 today, with the fall much steeper after 2020. So, check what else the two parties have been able to achieve in spite of the huge depreciation and judge them on that.

“We should not change for the sake of it or continue for the sake of it, but based on work done, vision articulated and leadership qualities shown and potential for more that we can see. Ghana must make progress. Ghana must also protect gains made. Who best can you trust to deliver on that?”Mr. Otchere-Darko’s post further read.