Ghana’s president Nana Akufo-Addo has insisted that he won fairly the just concluded elections.
In his final state of the nation address ahead of his inauguration for a second term on Thursday, president Akufo-Addo said it was good for the nation that the opposition had resorted to legal means to address their concerns. The opposition has filed a petition at the supreme court against the result of the poll, alleging irregularities.
He urged parliament to unite and accommodate each others’ views.
President Akufo-Addo also said, on the economy, the coronavirus pandemic had reduced Ghana’s GDP growth from a promising 6.5% to 1.9% this year, negatively affecting livelihoods.
He urged a bipartisan discussion on how to address the increasing rate of illegal mining which has polluted water bodies in the country.
Opposition MPs have criticized the president for failing to acknowledge the violent incidents that led to the loss of lives during the polls and the country’s rising public debt running into more than 46 billion dollars.
Ghana’s next parliament, which will be sworn in on Thursday, has no clear majority, with both the opposition and the ruling party having 137 members of parliament each, and one independent MP.