Former President John Dramani Mahama has expressed his view that the Akufo-Addo government should have prioritized the launch of a National Peace Campaign, especially as the country heads into a highly anticipated election year in December 2024. According to Mahama, given the political tensions and the importance of ensuring a peaceful electoral process, a National Peace Campaign should have been the government’s primary focus at this stage, rather than the ongoing political rallies and other initiatives.
Mahama’s comments are likely a call for greater focus on national unity and electoral peace ahead of the December 7, 2024 elections. He stressed that peaceful elections are a fundamental part of Ghana’s democratic process and that the government should lead efforts to promote peace and harmony among all political parties, their supporters, and the general public.
The National Peace Campaign would, in Mahama’s view, encourage dialogue, reduce political polarization, and prepare the nation to handle any post-election disputes in a peaceful manner. By prioritizing peace over divisive rhetoric, he believes Ghana can set an example for the rest of the continent in terms of managing democratic transitions.
Mahama’s comments also underscore his concerns about potential electoral violence or unrest that could arise during the election period. This is especially relevant given that the political atmosphere in Ghana has become increasingly charged in recent years, with the opposition parties often accusing the ruling government of electoral manipulation and intimidation.
While the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), led by President Nana Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has been focused on pushing forward its development agenda — including policies like Free SHS, Planting for Food and Jobs, and the ‘Buy Ghana First’ policy — Mahama believes that more attention should be paid to securing political stability and fostering peaceful coexistence ahead of the elections.
His call for a National Peace Campaign would likely involve efforts from all major political parties, civil society organizations, and the Electoral Commission, with the aim of ensuring that December’s election is peaceful, free, fair, and transparent.
Former President John Dramani Mahama has criticized both President Nana Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for failing to attend a crucial peace event aimed at ensuring national security and peace ahead of the December 2024 elections. Mahama expressed disappointment over their absence, arguing that it was important for the country’s leaders, especially those in the Executive, to demonstrate commitment to maintaining peace in the nation, particularly as the country approaches a potentially tense election period.
Mahama explained that he had canceled a campaign rally in Karaga, in the Northern Region, to attend the peace event in Accra, as he recognized the importance of promoting peaceful elections and contributing to efforts that foster national unity. However, when he arrived at the event, he found that both President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Bawumia were missing, which he felt undermined the significance of the initiative.
The former president pointed out that, as the top leaders of the country, Akufo-Addo and Bawumia should have been present to show their support for the peace process. Their absence, Mahama argued, sent a negative signal to the nation, particularly in the context of ensuring a peaceful and orderly election. The leaders’ participation would have underscored the importance of national security, peace, and the smooth conduct of the elections, reassuring Ghanaians that the government was fully committed to these values.
Mahama’s comments are part of his broader call for peaceful political discourse and the avoidance of any actions that might inflame tensions in the lead-up to the elections. In the past, he has raised concerns about potential electoral violence and the need for all political parties, as well as their leaders, to come together in support of a peaceful democratic process.
By highlighting his own attendance at the peace event and contrasting it with the absence of the President and Vice President, Mahama framed the situation as a failure of leadership at a critical juncture in the country’s political life. His remarks also underscore the importance of setting the tone for peaceful elections, which he views as a shared responsibility between the government, opposition, and all stakeholders involved.
Former President John Dramani Mahama has strongly criticized the New Patriotic Party (NPP)‘s handling of job creation, particularly highlighting the sharp rise in unemployment during their tenure. Mahama pointed out that when his administration left office in 2016, unemployment stood at 8.4%, but under the current NPP government, it has surged to 14.7% — a concerning increase he attributed to the NPP’s failure to implement effective economic policies that could generate sustainable jobs.
In particular, Mahama questioned Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s commitment to tackling youth unemployment. He called attention to the unpaid allowances owed to trainees under the Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) program, which was one of the government’s flagship youth employment initiatives. Mahama suggested that the NABCO trainees’ frustrations and the outstanding payments are a sign that the NPP has failed to deliver on its promises of job creation and youth empowerment.
By highlighting the unpaid allowances and the rising unemployment rate, Mahama underscored that job creation has not been a priority for the current government, despite its claims of economic progress. He argued that if the NPP’s job creation initiatives had been effective, there should have been a clear and measurable improvement in employment figures by now.
In his critique, Mahama positioned the NPP’s economic approach as lacking real impact on job creation and economic empowerment for ordinary Ghanaians, especially the youth. He contrasted this with his own administration’s record on youth employment, pointing to programs like the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), which he claims were more successful in addressing employment challenges during his presidency.
Mahama’s comments serve as part of his broader argument that the current government’s policies have failed to deliver on key promises, particularly around economic development and job creation. His challenge to the NPP to show tangible results on youth employment comes as the country approaches Election 2024, where issues of unemployment, economic inequality, and youth empowerment are expected to be critical topics.
