Presidential spokesman Eugene Arhin with Nana Akufo-Addo
The Presidency held a media briefing on Thursday, November 11, 2021, to address a number of issues that had come up in recent times.
The gathering was addressed by the Director of Communications at the Flagstaff House, Eugene Arhin and spanned a number of areas from Civil Society critique and reports about an elephant-sized government delegation to a recent climate summit.
Critical pronouncements by a former president and issues relating to the president’s upcoming annual leave and his last overseas travel before the start of the leave were also tackled among other issues.
GhanaWeb compiles four major issues Eugene Arhin addressed the media on:
Catholic Bishops critique on public purse and corruption
Eugene Arhin stated that much as the presidency welcomed critique from all shades of persons, it disagreed with the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference in their corruption critique of government.
“In as much as this administration (Akufo-Addo administration) is extremely tolerant of divergent views, and welcomes criticisms of its work, we believe these criticisms should be well-founded and well-grounded in fact, as this is the only way an honest conversation, devoid of malice and propaganda, can be held,” Eugene Arhin stated.
He continued “Indeed, the transformation that has taken place in all aspects of national life point to an economy that has been well-managed, a public purse that is being well-protected, and the benefits are showing.
“If President Akufo-Addo had superintended over the wanton dissipation of public funds, the Ghanaian people would not have reposed their confidence in him by returning a decisive margin of victory for him in the 2020 elections.”
President Akufo-Addo takes his annual leave and trip to France
The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, will from Saturday, November 13, 2021, proceed on a one-week leave. Eugene Arhin intimated that the leave of absence was “long overdue.”
He mentioned that the President, whiles on leave, will take a trip to France to be part of a panel to adjudicate a debate in the European country’s parliament.
“President Akufo-Addo will from Saturday 13th November to Saturday 20th November take a much deserved long overdue 7-day leave of absence during which he has also accepted an invitation to preside over the panel that will adjudicate a debate in the French Parliament on the trial of progress on 19th November. He’s expected to come back to Ghana on Saturday 20th November 2021,” he said.
Replies to Mahama over recent pronouncements
The former President has in recent times taken jabs at the government accusing it of economic mismanagement, corruption and failure/refusal to consult other stakeholders on how to move the country forward.
Arhin announced that the government had, “engaged in paying up the energy legacy debts inherited from the Mahama government and we have cleared the GH¢1.2 billion cedi NHIS debt we inherited.”
He also stated that recent hikes in fuel prices and other costs of living indices were a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. “They are the order of the day across the globe, unfortunately.”
He added, “just as every country is confronted with these challenges – difficult, if I may say, largely as a result of the impact of COVID-19 Ghana, under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, is making every effort through Ghana CARES Obaatanpa program to alleviate the hardships brought forth by the pandemic.
“It is important to say that the Akufo-Addo government will continue to work for the development of Ghana and help improve the living standards of all Ghanaians.”
Contoversy around government delegation to COP26
The government neither funded nor sent a Ghanaian delegation of 337 participants to COP26 as was widely reported earlier this week, this was another major issue Arhin addressed.
“One matter that has since generated some level of controversy is the supposed number that attended the COP from Ghana. Let me state on record that the government of Ghana did not send or fund 337 Ghanaians to attend COP26.
“Indeed, there are three categories of persons who are permitted to attend COP26 and these are; United Nations and related organizations and agencies; media and non-profit organizations with observer status; and representatives of parties to the convention and observer states.
“And from what he has observed so far, it has been shown that not all 337 persons who registered indeed attended the summit. There were media personalities as well as reps from CSOs who were captured on the list of 337 persons and who have also confirmed that their trip to Glasgow was not funded by government,” he stressed.