Claim: General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party, John Boadu, has claimed that about 90% of ruling governments lost their incumbency in 2020.
False. Checks by DUBAWA indicate that as many as 30 Presidential elections were held in 2020 globally. Out of these elections, 20 representing 66.6% of winners were candidates from the ruling party.
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General Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party, John Boadu, has said that his party is among a few to have been re-elected in presidential elections in the heat of the COVID 19 pandemic.
According to him, about 90 percent of ruling parties suffered defeat in their respective countries when elections were held in the year 2020, the year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking on Accra-based Peace FM Akan language, the politician said that the re-election of the New Patriotic Party in 2020 was a testament to President Akufo-Addo’s efficient management of the economy in the midst of the pandemic.
“All political parties in the world, almost about 90 percent of them, in the year of COVID, when they contested, they lost it. Look at [Donald] Trump, before COVID did you see the things he was doing? But the management of COVID did not help him and so he lost. Look at Angela Merkel’s party, they lost it. I can cite a lot of examples. The same thing happened in India. [For] Ghana, because of what President Akufo-Addo did, because of his management of the economy, in the year of elections, during COVID, we won our election,” John Boadu said in Akan which has been translated into english..
His claim can be found between minutes 1:22 to 2:22 of a video uploaded on the Despite Media channel on Youtube.
The video, uploaded on April 21, has since attracted over 500 views and a number of comments.
Article 56 of India’s constitution (Page 58) states that “the President shall hold office for a term of five years from the date on which he enters upon his office”
This means that India is expected to go to the polls again in 2022 to elect a new President.
In view of this, John Boadu is wrong to cite India among countries where the ruling party lost an election during the year of COVID. The country’s last election was held in 2017, which is about two years before the outbreak of COVID-19.
Again, DUBAWA came across 30 countries, including Ghana, that held elections to elect a leader for their respective governments in 2020.
Relying on reports from credible media organizations, DUBAWA noticed that, like Ghana, 20 countries out of the 30 identified, had the ruling party retaining power.
It cannot, therefore, be said that 90% of incumbent governments lost power in the heat of the global pandemic in 2020.
Conclusion
John Boadu’s claim that as many as 90% of ruling parties across the globe lost in their re-election bid to lead their respective countries is false.
Out of 30 countries where presidential elections were held, DUBAWA confirmed that the ruling party secured re-election victory in 20 of those elections.
Claim: Former Finance Minister, Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, claims that Ghana’s economic growth rate in 2011 was the best in the world for that year.
Countries such as Mongolia and Macao recorded a higher GDP growth for that year.
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Finance Minister during the John Atta Mills-led administration, Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, says that the National Democratic Congress are better managers of the country’s economy.
The launch was streamed on Facebook and the claim can be found on minutes 45:38 to 45:50.
Verification
To authenticate the claim by the former Finance Minister and a leading member of the National Democratic Congress, DUBAWA analyzed data from the Ministry of Finance, IMF, and the World Bank.
According to data from the World Bank, countries such as Macao SAR (21.6%), Mongolia (17.3%), and Turkmenistan (14.7%) recorded higher GDP growths in 2011.
Data from the IMF also indicates that Macao (21.6%) and Mongolia (17.3) recorded higher GDP growths in 2011 when compared to Ghana’s 14.5%.
In the case of Turkmenistan, IMF’s data indicates that their economic growth rate was 13.7% in 2011, which is below the figure quoted by various credible sources.
Conclusion
The claim by Dr. Kwabena Duffuor that Ghana’s economic growth rate in 2011 was the best in the world is false. At least, Macao and Mongolia recorded higher GDP growths in 2011.
Claim: President Akufo-Addo says that Ghana’s tax to GDP ratio is one of the lowest in West Africa.
DUBAWA rates the claim as partly true having analyzed the 2021 OECD Revenue Statistics for Africa Report and data from the World Bank, IMF, Finance Ministry, and the Revenue Authority Reports of some other West African countries.
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Ghana’s President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has asserted that Ghana’s tax to GDP ratio is one of the lowest in West Africa.
Justifying the government’s decision to implement a 1.5% levy on electronic transactions, Akufo-Addo said that the industry, despite its growth, had been tax-exempt, hence, the need to rope it into the tax net.
“It’s emerging as the biggest economy in the country and for a long period has not had any taxation at all. So it is important now that they also come into the net. Our country has one of this lowest tax to GDP ratios of any country in West Africa and of an equivalent economy.”
Verification
The tax-to-GDP ratio refers to total tax revenue, including social security contributions, as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP).
For this reason, countries with a lower rate are trying to increase or broaden their tax nets in order to meet the minimum IMF requirement and Ghana is no exception.
To authenticate the claim by the President, however, DUBAWA analyzed the 2021 Revenue Statistics in Africa report, published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
In the report, OECD provided the tax to GDP ratio of 30 African countries.
They indicated that their data was for 2019.
There are fifteen countries in West Africa and per Akufo-Addo’s claim, it means that Ghana is among those with a low tax to GDP ratio in the sub-region.
The fifteen countries in West Africa are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
The OECD report did not include data for Benin, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
Therefore, DUBAWA relied on data from various credible sources including the World Bank, IMF, Finance Ministry and the Revenue Authority of the countries whose data was not captured in the OECD report.
No document was found to have contained the tax-to-GDP data for Guinea for 2019 or even earlier.
Using the OECD data, which does not capture six countries, Ghana’s 13.5 Tax to GDP ratio is only higher than that of three countries but lower than the IMF minimum rate of 15%
If the data from other sources is used to complement the OECD data, Ghana’s 13.5 will only be higher than that of five countries. IMF’s 2016 data from Guinea-Bissau has not been included. Also, since DUBAWA found no document that contains recent data for Guinea, they have also not been factored in the determination of the truth or otherwise of the President’s claim.
Data from the World Bank does not have that of Nigeria, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Furthermore, the data for Benin, The Gambia, Guinea, and Niger are not so recent and cannot be considered reliable in drawing a conclusion.
Although data from the World Bank does not agree with figures quoted in the OECD report, Ghana’s 12.0 is the same as that of Cote D’Ivoire and only higher than that of Guinea-Bissau.
Conclusion
DUBAWA has analysed data from the 2021 OECD Report, the World Bank, IMF, Finance Ministry, and the Revenue Authority of several countries and have rated the claim as partly True because it is lower than the IMF minimum rate of 15% needed for economic growth but also lower than a number of West African countries
Bawku has slid back into conflict again after a few years of peace or the semblance of it. Scores have died; dozens have fled or have been injured with several properties torched and destroyed in a new wave of inter-ethno-political violence that has hit the North Eastern part of Ghana in the turn of the new year.
The municipality tucked in the uppermost region of the North Eastern part of Ghana with a population of about 122,641 (Ghana Statistical Service, 2020) is now under curfew again. Schools have shut down, hospitals closed; economic activities grounded to a halt, thus worsening the strangling cost of living triggered largely by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian-Ukraine war.
Tens of suspects were arrested shortly after the December 27, 2021 shooting incidents between the Mamprusis and Kusasis, which marked the return to violence and a struggle over allodial rights, power and influence in Bawku.
“The situation is dire and precarious in Bawku,” Mohammed Tahiru Nambe, a Lawyer and Mamprusi member of the Bawku Inter-Ethnic Peace Committee, captured the present Bawku situation during a conversation with DUBAWA.
“Where is our future if our kids cannot go to school because the schools have been shut down? Even our health situation has worsened and our people die from common malaria because the hospitals too have been closed down,” Nambe added.
His counterpart, Maxwell Agbambilla, also a Lawyer and legal advisor to the Bawku Naba told DUBAWA the current situation in Bawku is “unfortunate.” He adds: “We are impoverishing ourselves all the more with the continued violence. It is an uneasy calm but not the type of calmness we want. People are still agitating on social media. The residents cannot go to work and school children cannot go to school.”
A journalist and Upper East Region correspondent for the Multimedia Group Albert Sore, tells DUBAWA: “It is difficult to tell what the real situation is. One moment it is calm. The next moment, gunshots. So I guess the real situation is calm in a tense atmosphere.”
Conflict from the past
Soldiers maintaining peace in Bawku Source: gbcghanaonline.com
If there is an uneasy calm in Bawku now, I dare say such has been the situation for many years. In his lucid research, “The Kusasi-Mamprusi Conflict in Bawku: A Legacy of British Colonial Policy in Northern Ghana, Felix Y.T. Longi chronicled how the indirect rule system adopted by the colonial administration left in its wake decades of bloody ethnic conflicts between Kusasis who are the indegenous people in Bawku and are in the majority and the Mamprusis who settled in Bawku and are believed to be more powerful. Before that though, in 1931, the Kusasis, according to Awedoba (2009), had come under the authority of Bawku Naba who was then a Mamprusi. However, with time, the Kusasis believed the Mamprusi Bawku Naba and his sub-chiefs had been imposed on them by the colonial administrative authority and, therefore, felt the need for their own independence. Maxwell Agbambilla said the Kusasis “suffered the indignities of colonialism” and therefore started agitating for their own kind of freedom. As Ghana fought and won independence from the British colonial masters in 1957, so did the Kusasis fight for their own kind of independence from the Mamprusis in the same year, Agbambilla recounted. The Kusasis appointed their own Bawku Naba, Naba Abugrago Azoka, (Bombande, 2007) and that appeared to be the genesis of the Bawku conflict. “Disruption ensued immediately in 1957 over the situation of having two people as Bawku Naba, which “led to some disturbances and intensified the claim over” the chieftaincy by the Kusasi and Mamprusi people (Bukari, 2013a: 30).
While the remote cause of this conflict is deeply rooted in the colonial vestiges, a toxic mix of partisan politics has made a bad situation rather worse. In a bid to protect their interest, power and influence, the factions aligned themselves with powerful political parties. As far back as the first Republic under Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Longi stated that the Kusasis aligned themselves with the Convention People’s Party (CPP) while the Mamprusis identified with the Northern People’s Party which, together with other groups and associations, came together to form the United Party (UP). It would later metamorphose into the governing New Patriotic Party. The Kusasis have also transferred their partisan support from the CPP to the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC). The result is the cycle of violence which appears to be coterminous with the political cycle of governance between the NDC and the NPP in the Fourth Republican Constitution. It takes, mostly minor disagreements, sometimes over a missing horse, goat or sheep or misunderstanding over transport fares for a whole community to be burnt down in a fit of rage.
In the heat of the 2008 elections and its aftermath which saw a change in power back to the NDC in 2009, another conflict struck. The Red Cross Society put the number of deaths to between 20-30, while the Daily Statesman newspaper put the number of deaths to 45.
With the return of the NPP under President Nana Akufo-Addo in 2017 and a second term victory in 2020 comes another round of violence.
On December 26, 2021, the Mamprusis performed the final funeral rites of their chief, Alhaji Adam Azamgbegu, who died 41 years ago, and that appeared to have triggered the recent wave of violence. The National Peace Council called for dialogue to settle the differences. There have been some arrests and prosecutions since then.
Benefitting from wars
A Security and Safety expert with the Security WareHouse Ltd, Adam Bonaa, told DUBAWA the recent surge in violence is a result of “lack of planning and intel. I get to know some of these acts of violence before it happens.”
While blaming the cycle of violence on what he refers to as “conflict-preneurs,” or people benefiting from the conflict situation, Mr Bonaa also expressed surprise over the “sophisticated weapons” including “G3s and AK 47” being used by the factions.
He says the issues of criminality associated with the ongoing conflict must not be overlooked, those in charge of security must not only be fair and just but must be seen to be fair without support, real or perceived, to any of the factions.
When court ruling is not enough
Beyond the gun battles and guerrilla warfare, the Bawku crisis has been fought in court rooms with verdicts even from the Highest Court but little or no progress has come out of it.
Shortly after the first conflict in 1957, the colonial government instituted a commission to investigate the cause of the conflict. That committee as part of its verdict accepted the decision by the Kusasi to elect their own chief. According to Tahiru Nambe, the Mamprusis contested the decision by the Commission at the High Court and succeeded in having the court to quash same.
Maxwell Agbambilla stated however that in 1958, the Nkrumah government also appealed the decision of the High Court and had the verdict overturned. The Appeals Court upheld the original decision of the Committee. The Kusasis installed their own chief in the Kusasi area until the 1966 coup which overthrew the Nkrumah government. Under National Liberation Council Decree (NLCD) 112, Lt General Emmanuel Kotoka who took over the reins of power, reversed the decision by the Appeals Court under the Nkrumah government to enable the Kusasis enskin their own chief and restored the old order which had the Mamprusis firmly in control. As a result, Alhaji Adam Azamgbegu was installed as Bawku Naba in 1967 and ruled until he died in 1981 during the period of Dr Hilla Limann in the third Republic.
According to Mohammed Tahiru Nambe, under Mamprusi customs, the funeral rites of the deceased chief had to be performed during which a regent would be allowed to rule the kingdom until a new Bawku Naba is installed. He added that until the funeral rites of a deceased chief are performed, a new one cannot be enskinned. He says Mamprusis were prevailed upon to hold on to the funeral rites of Alhaji Adam Azamgbegu since 1981 when the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) military government had taken over through another coup. The Rawlings-led PNDC which later became the NDC also passed the PNDCL 75 “which deskinned Adam Azamgbeo and the eighteen divisional chiefs and re-enskinned all the chiefs who were deskinned in 1966,” YT Longi stated in his research. According to Tahiru Nambe it is the 41-year-old funeral rites for the late Adam Azamgbegu that was performed on December 26, 2021 which triggered the recent round of violence. He was quick to point out that Ghana’s adversarial court system will not be the solution to the Bawku conflict, a view the security expert, Adam Bonaa, shares. Bonaa insisted “the over reliance on the court will never be the solution,” insisting what is the use of a court decision which cannot be enforced?
The way forward
Maxwell Agbambilla tells DUBAWA, the only solution to the Bawku crisis is “to be honest and truthful to ourselves.” He adds: “What happened during the time of our ancestors and colonial administration was an accident of history.” He says while the Mamprusis can have a community chief in Bawku it will be unjust for the chief to have dominion over the Kusasi people. He was quick to point out however, the Bawku crisis can never be resolved through the barrel of a gun and urged both factions to dialogue.
“My advice to young men is for them to lay down their arms. The gun battle is not going to win the war for anybody. I think the battle of the brain is better than the destruction of precious lives.There is no way we can wipe out all Mamprusis. The same way, Mamprusis cannot wipe out all Kusasis.”
He says the gun will only “secure temporary respite” but not the “lasting peace” everyone wants. He applauds the president Nana Akufo-Addo for being forthright on the matter, adding “Government has done all that it can within its limit for now and urged the government to increase security on the ground.”
Adams Bonaa on his part says the government can do more. He adds “It is the lack of planning by the government and the security forces and also politicians” that has exacerbated the violence there.
While admitting the frustration of the government in having to spend a lot of limited resources to maintain peace, he stresses, government has no choice because “Bawku is part of Ghana and so we must put our best foot forward”
He insists the security heads must be circumspect in the choice of personnel they send to Bawku to restore peace, adding if an officer has vested interest in Bawku as a result of his or her ethnic affiliation, that officer must not be included in the operations in Bawku to maintain peace.
More importantly he believes: “You don’t force peace unto people. History has taught us in Afghanistan and other areas that you cannot force peace unto people. It is the people who by themselves can restore peace.”.
On his part, Mohammed Tahiru Nambe is advocating for the use of an eminent panel of chiefs, to resolve the Bawku crisis as was done in the Dagbon crisis. For years, Abudus and Andanis also had their fair share of ethnic violence until a panel of three eminent chiefs led by the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II intervened. After almost a decade of intervention, which saw the factions vacate and return to the negotiating table with the three eminent chiefs, the two factions eventually smoked the peace pipe. Tahiru Tambe believes something similar can be adopted in the roadmap for peace in Bawku.
He was unequivocal that violence can never be a panacea to the crisis in Bawku. “Let the gun remain silent. In war, even when you win, you lose something…So I appeal to both factions that there is no way Kusasis can kill all Mamprusis, neither will there be any way that Mamprusis can kill all Kusasis. Therefore we must allow peace to prevail. If there are any differences that we need to work on, let us use the civil manner. We must allow peace to prevail.”
Conclusion
Even though differences remain between Mamprusis and Kusasis in Bawku, one thing is palpable for both factions in the conflict – violence is not the solution. An otherwise vibrant community which is an economic hub for a lot of people in the Northern parts of the country has become a ghost town with no activity except reports of gun battles. While the government has a major role to play in restoring lasting peace in Bawku, it is the people of Bawku themselves who can chart a new path to peace in Bawku.
Claim: National Communications Director of the National Democratic Congress, Sammy Gyamfi, has claimed that the Regional Maritime Hospital in Accra is the only health facility in the country with a helipad.
Verdict: False; there are several other health institutions in Ghana that have helipads.
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The National Communications Officer of the opposition National Democratic Congress, Sammy Gyamfi, has said that the Regional Maritime Hospital in Accra is the only health facility in the country that has a helipad that can receive patients flown in for treatment.
He said this was among the several infrastructure achievements by the John Mahama-led administration.
He made this claim on Ekosiisen on Asempa FM 94.7FM in Accra.
The show was live-streamed on Facebook and the claim can be found between minutes 3:08:38 – 3:09:00.
“President Mahama came to construct the Wa Hospital, rehabilitated the Upper Regional Hospital, constructed the 420-bed Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge Hospital). He also constructed institutional hospitals. You can talk about the Ghana Maritime Hospital – the only hospital that has a helipad that can receive patients flown in for treatment,” Mr Gyamfi claimed.
Verification
In November 2008, the then President, John Agyekum Kufuor, inaugurated the National Accident and Emergency Centre at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH).
A news publication about the inauguration on GhanaWeb indicated that the Centre had a helipad on the roof.
The project is reported to have cost the government 75million euros and was funded from the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Fund and the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).
Associated Consultants, a company that offers architectural and engineering services, has listed the Accident and Emergency Centre as among projects they have undertaken.
They indicated that the project, which is located at the KATH, has a helipad on the rooftop.
In May 2014, leading website in Ghana, myjoyonline.com reported on the inspection of “a newly constructed helipad for the 37 Military Hospital” by President Mahama.
“With this helipad, helicopters evacuating accident victims and other emergencies to the 37 military will no longer touch down at the air force base but will land directly at the 37 military hospital,” a part of the publication reads.
There are photos online of John Mahama meeting with officials of the Ghana Armed Forces in May 2014 over the construction of the helipad for the 37 Military Hospital.
In one of the photos, a helicopter could be seen to have landed on the helipad.
A collage of photos from when John Mahama visited the 37 Military Hospital in 2014
Relying on satellite images from Google, DUBAWA discovered that the helipad was located about 1.8km away from the Hospital.
The helipad was used when John Mahama, who was president at the time, was inaugurating some projects by the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority.
The front view of the newly built International Maritime Hospital with a helipad. Source: Graphic Online
Conclusion
The claim by Sammy Gyamfi that the International Maritime Hospital is the only health facility in the country that has a helipad is false. At least the Komfo Anokye Hospital and the 37 Military Hospitals both have helipads.
Claim: Deputy Public Relations Officer of the Education Ministry claims that Ghana’s economy grew by 0.6% in 2020.
Data from the Finance Ministry, IMF, and the World Bank indicate the economy grew by 0.4%
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The Deputy Public Relations Officer of the Education Ministry, Yaw Opoku Mensah, has claimed that Ghana’s economy grew by 0.6% in 2020.
He made the claim when he appeared as a guest on Boho Bio on Kumasi-based Hello FM on Monday, March 28, 2022.
“In 2020, the economy grew by 0.6%, an economy that was growing on average by about 7%. Because of COVID-19 restrictions such as the lockdown, the economy grew by 0.6%,” Yaw Opoku Mensah said on the show whilst touting the government’s efforts in building a resilient economy.
Many economies struggled in 2020 because of the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, leaving relatively few countries including Ghana, to record positive growth.
According to the World Bank, economic growth in Western and Central Africa contracted by -0.8% in 2020 whereas growth in East and Southern Africa contracted by -3%.
Relying on data from the World Bank, and IMF, just about 14 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa recorded a positive economic growth rate in 2020.
Official data from the Finance Ministry, World Bank and the IMF do not support the claim by the Deputy Public Relations Officer of the Education Ministry. In view of that, DUBAWA rates the claim as false. Ghana’s economy grew by 0.4% and not 0.6% as claimed.
Claim: Social media users are sharing a video of former first lady, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, in which she was lamenting harsh economic conditions in the country.
False! The video is not recent. It has been in circulation at least since 2016.
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Social media users are sharing a clip of the former first lady, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, in which she decried the state of the economy.
“My fellow Ghanaians, life is tough. Things are hard, in fact, life is really rough. Things are so difficult that it is not easy for the ordinary man to survive. In fact, things are so tough that it is not making it easy for men and women to survive in this economy,” she said in the video.
A leading website in Ghana, yen.com.gh has also made a publication headlined “Nana Konadu Rawlings complains about tough economy in Ghana in video”
Screenshot of the news publication by Yen Ghana.
Verification
To authenticate the video, DUBAWA did a Facebook search and several videos of and about the former first lady came up.
In November 2021, a page with 233K followers, NDC WEB, uploaded a longer version of the video (4:24). It captioned the video as “Flashback: This is how Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings campaigned AGAINST John Dramani Mahama and the NDC in 2016.” The first 30-seconds of the video is the same as what is being circulated online as her criticism of the current Akufo-Addo-government.
“For just this alone, we must vote NDC out. Ghanaians, vote them out. So all of us, women, men, the youth, rich, poor, let us come together and bring our voices out on this issue. Do not sit on the fence, the fence is going to break if you sit on the fence. Let us all make our voices heard clearly on things that are going on that are not helping any of us. Let us speak against the ills of this country,” she said in the video.
Considering the fact that Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings contested in the 2016 Presidential election on the ticket of the National Democratic Party, it is likely that the video was created in that year as part of the campaign activities of the party.
Conclusion
The video being circulated is not recent. It dates back to 2016 and cannot be said to be a criticism of the current administration’s handling of the economy
Claim: Social media users claim that Sulley Muntari has finally apologized to the Ghana Football Association (GFA) after a reported physical attack on a Black Stars Management Committee member during the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
The letter that is being circulated is not recent. The GFA first featured it in a 2016 publication. Moreover, the General Secretary of the Association says that no fresh apology has been received from the player since 2016.
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As Ghana prepares for a make or break 2022 World Cup qualifier against Nigeria, there are reports, especially reports on social media, suggesting that Hearts of Oak midfielder and former Ghanaian international , Sulley Muntari, has finally apologized to the GFA for acts of violence he perpetrated during the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
In the letter, the footballer, who now plays for Accra-based Hearts of Oak, said that he had reflected on what happened and was deeply sorry.
The letter concluded with the former AC Milan midfielder expressing his readiness to “play for the Senior National Team of Ghana” whenever he is invited.
The apology is presumed to be a perfect setup for the return of Muntari who is likely to be invited to the Black Stars for the must-win play-off against Nigeria.
He last played for the Stars in 2014.
Verification
A basic search on Google led us to a 2016 publication on the official website of the Ghana Football Association.
“Sulley Muntary’s apology was sent to us years ago. He has not sent any new letter and there is no need for him to even send a new letter,” Prosper Harrison Addo told DUBAWA.
Attempts to get Sulley Muntari to comment on the matter have been futile.
Conclusion
It is not true that Sulley Muntari has sent a fresh apology to the Ghana Football Association. The letter that is being circulated online dates back to 2016.
The Expo aims to forge new partnerships and inspire ground-breaking solutions across key industries worldwide. The Expo provides several possibilities for networking and the promotion of international connections.
Delivering his speech at the expo, President Akufo Addo says Ghana is, today, the safest country in West Africa, the largest recipient of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and is ranked 3rd in the Ease of Doing Business Index in West Africa.
The most recent Ease of Doing Business index from the World Bank was published in 2019. In the index, Mauritius is the highest-ranking Sub-Saharan African economy that is conducive to do business followed by Rwanda with the second position. This is confirmed in a fact sheet report from the World Bank.
In their data, Ghana is capped first with a score of 59.22. Ghana ranked highest compared to other West African nations. Côte d’Ivoire and Cape Verde followed with scores of 58 and 55.95, respectively. Guinea Bissau achieved 42.85 score points, representing the lowest in comparison to the other West African countries.
Conclusion: With the available data, with emphasis on the one from the World Bank, DUBAWA can confirm that President Akufo Addo’s claim that Ghana is ranked 3rd in the Ease of Doing Business Index in West Africa is true.
Claim 2: Is Ghana the largest recipient of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in West Africa?
Ghana is not the largest recipient of Foreign Direct Investment. Nigeria is the largest with $ 2.4billion inflows with Ghana following with $1.9 billion inflows.
The World Investment Report (WIR) by the World Bank provides leading-edge data, research and policy analysis on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and investment for development.
According to the most recent data available at the World Investment Report on page 41, Ghana registered a 52 per cent decline in FDI in 2020, leaving inflows at $1.9 billion, from $3.9 billion in 2019.
However, inflows to Nigeria also increased slightly, from $2.3 billion in 2019 to $2.4 billion in 2020. As such, Ghana is not the largest recipient of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in West Africa.
Conclusion: President Akufo Addo’s claim that Ghana is the largest recipient of Foreign Direct Investment in West Africa is false.
Claim 3: Ghana is the safest country in West Africa.
Global Peace Index puts Ghana 1st in West Africa and 2nd in Saharan Africa.
Global Peace Index is a report produced by theInstitute for Economics & Peace which measures the relative position of nations’ and regions’ peacefulness and safety.
According to page 20 of the 2021 Global Peace Index (GPI), which ranks 163 independent states and territories according to their level of peacefulness and safety, Ghana is ranked 38th globally, 2nd in Africa and the 1st most peaceful country in West Africa.
Source: Global Peace Index (2021)
Conclusion: President Akufo Addo’s claim that Ghana is the safest country in West Africa is true.
Claim: The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, claims Ghana is the only West African country that has subsidized fertilizers for local farmers.
Research shows that Niger and Nigeria which are West African countries have all subsidized fertilizer for their farmers.
He was speaking on the Kokrokoo Morning Show on Peace Fm, hosted by Kwame Sefa Kayi on March 3, 2022. The claim was made on the (17 minutes:11 seconds to 17 minutes :30 seconds) of the interview when the host questioned him on measures taken to end fertilizer smuggling in the country and why fertilizer is being smuggled.
In response to the question, the Minister who spoke in a local dialect, “Twi ” said “To begin with, the first is the government’s decision to reduce the prices of fertilizer in the country. In the West African Region, no country has subsidized fertilizer. Talk of Togo, Côte D’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, they don’t subsidize fertilizer.”
The show was streamed live on major social media platforms, including Facebook and YouTube. On YouTube, it has garnered over 4,000 views.
Verification
Agriculture is the backbone of many African countries. Even though it contributes immensely to the Gross Domestic Products (GDP) in some West African countries, production has been one of the challenges local farmers face. As such, helping farmers by subsiding fertilizers is one of the major ways countries have tried to assist their farmers.
When a government says it has subsidized fertilizer for farmers, it means it has compensated fertilizer companies to produce and sell fertilizers to farmers below market prices.
In real terms, is Ghana the only country that has subsided fertilizer for farmers in West Africa?
According to the United Nations, West Africa includes the following countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte D’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo.
During our research, we found a West African Fertilizer Watch document focusing on fertilizer programs in Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, and Togo in 2020. In this document, the countries listed above have all implemented fertilizer subsidy programs for farmers in their countries.
With this initiative, prices of fertilizer were reduced from N9,000-N11,000 per bag to N5,500 for local farmers. This is confirmed in a news report by premiumtimes.com, a major online news portal in Nigeria and allafrica.com.
In Niger, the government in 2010 introduced the Central Supply of Inputs and Agricultural Materials (CAIMA) to help boost agricultural production, by helping farmers get access to fertilizers at low cost. This program was later confronted with challenges. As a result and with the help of Challenge Cooperation (MCC) and the government of Niger, the National Fertilizer Reform Plan was established.
Before its implementation, a pilot programme in 2019 was done and of the 15,000 potential participants (farmers) identified, 12,830 were successfully registered and issued electronic voucher cards. By the end of the pilot, 7,211 farmers had each received four bags of fertilizer. The subsidy by the government paid for two.
Conclusion
With the evidence provided, DUBAWA can conclude that Ghana is not the only West African country that has subsidized fertilizer for its farmers. Research shows that countries like Niger and Nigeria have all subsidized fertilizer for farmers in their country.
