Dr. Palgrave Boakye Danquah, the government’s spokesperson for security and governance, has questioned the outcry over Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh’s comparison of President Akufo-Addo’s accomplishments to those of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president.
On Tuesday, July 9, 2024, at his introduction as NPP flagbearer Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s running mate, Dr. Prempeh said that Nana Akufo-Addo had outperformed all previous presidents in the nation’s history, “not even your Kwame Nkrumah.” The polls are scheduled for December 7 in Kumasi.
Critics felt that this statement validated Dr. Prempeh’s perceived haughtiness, which was unsettling.
In response, Dr. Palgrave Boakye Danquah justified the comparison in an interview on Joy Prime, saying that Akufo-Addo had accomplished more than Nkrumah, especially with the adoption of Free SHS.
How come our accomplishments cannot be compared to those of Nkrumah? Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was a politician and a leader. We have our opinions, and we believe that, yes, we have improved since Nana Akufo-Addo implemented free secondary education nationwide, although Nkrumah only started it in Ghana’s north. Isn’t that an incredible accomplishment?
According to him, President Akufo-Addo has performed Dr. Nkrumah in all sectors however Ghanaian leaders must do more in addition to all past leaders have outdone.
Furthermore, he concluded that Mahama can not compare himself to Nkrumah because he fell short of Nkrumah’s achievements
He stressed that although Dr. Nkrumah established Free SHS in the northern region of Ghana, President Akufo-Addo was the one who fearlessly brought it to the entire country, which is a noteworthy achievement.