Former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has acknowledged that economic difficulties and frequent public protests during his time in office played a major role in his government’s declining popularity.
During the launch of a book by former Nigerian Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, Akufo-Addo reflected on the economic hardships of his presidency, particularly the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which severely affected Ghana’s financial stability. He pointed out that the global health crisis disrupted economies worldwide, including Ghana, causing a sharp downturn in economic activity.
With international capital markets largely out of reach, his government had limited options and ultimately had to turn to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for financial assistance to stabilize the economy.
Akufo-Addo admitted that the resulting economic challenges fueled widespread public dissatisfaction, leading to numerous protests across the country. Although he acknowledged that the protests were not as intense as the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) riots in Ghana and other African nations in the 1980s, he recognized that they were significant enough to undermine public trust in his administration.
