As Ghana gears up for its December 7 presidential election, political tensions are heating up with escalating exchanges between Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and former President John Dramani Mahama.
In recent days, both candidates have sparred over Ghana’s economy, with Mahama questioning Bawumia’s shift from economic issues to digitalization, and Bawumia challenging Mahama to a one-on-one debate to address their records.
Amidst the political fray, Dr. Jonathan Asante-Otchere, a respected political scientist, speaking in an interview with ABC News Ghana urged the candidates to focus on practical solutions rather than grandstanding, noting, “They should be realistic and get us realistic solutions that will solve our problem.”
The back-and-forth between the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has left many Ghanaians questioning if these debates bring any tangible solutions.
Mahama’s pointed critique covered pressing economic issues, from inflation to national debt, while Bawumia responded with his own list of questions on Mahama’s track record.
Yet, Dr. Asante-Otchere cautions that such exchanges may only “throw the voters into an arena” of confusion without clarifying policy directions.
“If we allow this to happen, it will mean that they will not be able to engage the citizenry as to what policy proposition and direction they have for us,” he emphasized.
Rather than escalating the debate, Dr. Asante-Otchere believes both parties should engage the public with clear, actionable plans addressing Ghana’s economic woes.
He questioned, “Will the debate provide solutions to our current predicament?” urging both candidates to address pressing concerns with concrete proposals.
