Former Sekondi Member of Parliament, Andrew Egyapa Mercer, has criticised President John Dramani Mahama’s first year in office, accusing the government of failing to deliver on some of its most prominent campaign promises, including the much-touted Women’s Development Bank and the 24-hour economy policy.
President Mahama, who returned to office in January 2025 after winning the December 2024 elections, campaigned heavily on policies such as the 24-hour economy, a Women’s Development Bank, and broader economic restructuring aimed at job creation and inclusive growth.
Speaking on Newsfile on Saturday, Mr Mercer said the gap between the National Democratic Congress’s (NDC) manifesto promises and what is currently unfolding in government was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
“My only difficulty is that the kinds of commitments that they made in their manifesto — the Women’s Development Bank was key,” he said. “We were told last year that they were putting together the institutional framework. Even on Joy FM, I heard them say the same thing.”
He recalled that during President Mahama’s State of the Nation Address in February, Ghanaians were assured that the Women’s Development Bank would become operational by July 2025. According to him, that deadline has passed without any visible progress.
“July has come and gone, and we didn’t see anything,” he added.
Mr Mercer also aimed the government’s flagship 24-hour economy policy, which he said was aggressively marketed during the 2024 campaign but remains unclear in implementation.
“In March, they touted the 24-hour economy. Every poster, every billboard had the 24-hour sign on it. To date, people are saying it’s beginning to look like a 419,” he remarked, suggesting that the policy lacks clarity and tangible outcomes.
He further criticised what he described as inconsistencies between the government’s campaign rhetoric and the composition of its leadership team.
“The Formula 133 is now beginning to look like a Formula 419, because the narrative they sold during the campaign is completely different from what we are seeing now,” he stated.
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