The Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has characterised the State of the Nation Address delivered by President John Dramani Mahama on February 27, 2026, as lacking inspiration.
The Effutu Member of Parliament asserted that after one year in office, the administration persists in relying on slogans rather than executing tangible actions.
During his address to the House, he underscored pressing national concerns, including escalating electricity tariffs, youth unemployment, the welfare of cocoa farmers, illicit mining, and alleged irregularities in government contracts.
“What the President failed to tell the people of Ghana is that one year into government, he is still acting with slogans and no concrete actions. Electricity tariffs have skyrocketed, and Ghanaians cannot afford electricity,” he said.
He stated that President Mahama failed to acknowledge the challenges Ghanaians were going through.
He pointed to a potential scandal in the recruitment of security personnel, promising that the minority will demand full accountability.
“As we speak, there is a scandal looming in security services recruitment. We know who brought that company to the ministry. Karma has a way, and we, the minority, will pursue the person and ensure full disclosure,” he stated.
He further slammed the government over the reduction in cocoa prices.
“Mr Speaker, the cocoa farmers — their producer price has been reduced, and Eric Opoku cannot be found. They don’t care about cocoa farmers, yet they are here talking about inflation and macroeconomics,” he said.
On galamsey he stated that “Mr Speaker, galamsey continues to cause suffering for Ghanaians, and we expect concrete measures to be taken.”
Meanwhile, he has credited Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the flagbearer of the NPP, with the successes President Mahama spoke about.
He particularly likes the gold-for-reserve policy, urging the government to recognise the role of former Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia.
“Our elders say give credit where credit is due. Mr President spoke of some gains today; those gains come from the gold-for-reserve policy. What the government failed to tell Ghanaians is that Bawumia is the brain behind this policy. I urge the government: give Bawumia what belongs to Bawumia,” he stated.
He stressed that although the president delivered a SONA as required by the constitution, the address was a celebration without acknowledgement.
To him, the president stood tall, applauding his own performance, yet failed to admit that the gains he claimed were due to what the NPP did while in office.
He pointed out that the fiscal space his government now enjoys was created through what he described as the painful sacrifices of bondholders and the difficult reforms undertaken by the previous NPP administration.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
