Is The World Tired Of NDC?

The National Democratic Congress (NDC), Ghana’s largest opposition political party, may be getting under the skin of some reputable international institutions with its unending list of complains.

Since the party was booted out of power in December, 2016, the leadership had inundated the offices of international institutions and personalities with ‘petty’ accusations against government, many of which ended up rather embarrassing the party.

Fact is, people are today prompted to wonder if the party is not making a laughing stock of itself in the eyes of the international community.

For instance, when in 2017 Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Minority Ranking Member on Foreign Affairs, led an NDC delegation to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, calling for an investigation into a GHȻ2.25 billion bond initiated by the finance minister, the result was not palatable for the party.

They claimed Ken Ofori-Atta breached conflict of interest rules because 95% of the bond was purchased by Franklin Templeton, a US-based investment firm, which was closely associated with the minister.

Nothing has since been heard about that, but a suit at the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) by the party over the same issue has backfired.

A year later, the NDC again shot itself in the foot when it petitioned the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank regarding the $2 billion barter deal between Ghana and Sinohydro.

In a letter signed jointly by Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, and Cassiel Ato Forson, Ranking Member of the Finance Committee, to the IMF and the World Bank, the party insisted the deal was a loan, only to be told in the face that it wasn’t.

The most worrying aspect was that, even though the party claimed it was SURE the deal was a loan, it still asked the IMF for CLARIFICATION on the matter.

Then recently, the NDC flew into Ghana the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, to speak at the K. B. Amissah-Arthur Economic Forum on the theme: “Making Sense of Economics”, ostensibly to criticize the government. Unfortunately for them, the respected economist rather touted the numerous achievements of Ghana under the current government.

Comparing Ghana to his native Nigeria, he said Ghana’s GDP is now the 10th largest in Africa with a growth averaging over 6%, while Nigeria stalked at 2%. He said Ghana’s Unemployment rate is less than 3%, compared to Nigeria’s 23%.

Professor Soludo told the NDC that “Ghana is the most stable country in West Africa”.

On security, the professor said: “Nigeria is on the red alert list, and you guys are there, very far competing with several of the developed countries in the world”.

He encouraged the Ghana government to continue with its good works and intensify its reforms and innovations. What else is a better accolade to the Akufo-Addo administration than this?

Having virtually wasted everybody’s time in the last three years with the above trivialities, the question now is: For how long will the NDC continue to embarrass itself outside our shores?