John Mahama, a former president of Ghana, has lent his voice to the issue of that country’s failing economy and the struggles of common people.
He claimed that the nation is currently burdened with debt, which he claimed has made the economy vulnerable to international humiliation.
On March 22, 2023, Mahama stated during a public lecture at the UPSA auditorium in Accra that Ghana is insolvent under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
According to him, “Ghana today is broke. International credit rating agencies have placed us in junk status. Additional state financing can, therefore, not be a viable option on the table. Even if that becomes an option in the future, I recommend that we put in place an explicit Public Funding of Political Parties Bill in a bipartisan and inclusive manner.”
He has advocated for legislation that will mandate public funding of political parties.
He claimed that public and state funding of strong political parties will significantly lower corruption in the nation.
Additionally, he advised that “should public funding of political parties scale up in the near future, then a credible and independent institution must be chosen to administer the state resources advanced to political parties.
“In that regard, a sharing formula could be established to ensure fairness, and specific disclosure requirements on beneficiary parties.”
Political parties must disclose to the public their income, assets, and the sources of those income, assets, and assets, he continued.
He said that if elected, he would lead Ghana as President, he “will come with priceless experience to fix our broken nation.”
Additionally, he reaffirmed his promise to end ex-gratia payments.