2024 Mid-year Budget Review: NDC Lacks Alternative Policy – Afenyo-Markin Defends Government’s Performance

Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has robustly defended the government’s performance in response to criticisms from the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

He questioned whether the NDC has alternative policies to offer, emphasizing the current administration’s numerous achievements.

“The NDC, with John Dramani Mahama as President for four and a half years, failed the people of Ghana. The same NDC MPs criticizing the current government were ministers during that period,” he stated.

Afenyo-Markin was responding to the Minority’s criticisms of the 2024 mid-year budget review, which they described as uninspiring and lacking new ideas.

He highlighted the expansion of the School Feeding Programme as a significant success of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government.

“When the NDC left office in 2016, only 1.6 million Ghanaian children had access to school feeding. Today, under the Akufo-Addo government, 4 million children are benefiting, covering nearly all primary schools in the country,” he said.

He also pointed to improvements in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), alleging that the NDC boycotted the health insurance policy when it was introduced during the John Kufuor administration.

The Majority Leader noted that the NDC inherited the scheme in 2009, but did nothing to improve it during their eight years in power. By the time they left office in 2016, the NHIS was collapsing.

“Today, this government is spending GH¢6.5 billion on health insurance claims, demonstrating our commitment to healthcare,” he added.

Afenyo-Markin emphasized the increased funding for the Livelihood Empowerment against Poverty (LEAP) program as another notable achievement of the Akufo-Addo government. He stated that by the end of 2016, the NDC had committed only GH¢49 million to LEAP, while in 2023, the Akufo-Addo government has allocated GH¢423 million to support poor households.

On education, Afenyo-Markin highlighted the government’s investment in free Senior High School (SHS) education.

“In 2017, the government committed GH¢400 million to the Free SHS program, pushing enrolment to 1.6 million, compared to the 800,000 under the NDC,” he said.

He also praised the strides made in vocational and technical education by President Akufo-Addo. “Vocational training in Ghana is now free, with a massive increase in enrolment. This expansion in educational opportunities is a testament to the success of our policies,” he noted.

Afenyo-Markin dismissed the NDC’s claims of failure, stating that the government’s performance in social interventions and education reforms speaks for itself.

Source:expressnewsghana.com