Kow Essuman, a former Counsel to President Akufo-Addo, has said that Ghanaians will eventually realise the former president was the best person for the country.
Speaking on Joy News on November 11, 2026, Kow Essuman said Akufo-Addo made difficult decisions during his time in office because he believed they were in the country’s best interest.
Kow Essuman stated, “It will take a bit of time for people to appreciate that the man that we had in the office was the best person who thought about the country. In fact, today some of the things that are happening in this country, you know, are testimony to it.
“And having gotten to know him, you realise that he’s someone who thinks about the ordinary person,” he said.
Kow Essuman recounted how Akufo-Addo handled the COVID-19 pandemic as an example of his concern for ordinary people.
He stated, “During COVID, if you remember, there was a lot of outcry: we need to shut down the borders, we need to, you know, lock down and so on and so forth. A lot of people, you know, kept advising, kept saying, you know, even the scientists and so on and so forth. He wanted to see the data, first of all, that it was important, or it would slow down the spread of the virus.
“Someone sitting somewhere in a rural area, the only source of entertainment is to go and sit under, you know, at a pito bar or at a chop bar or something like that. Locking them down prevents them from having access to food,” he stated.
He further linked Akufo-Addo’s decisions during his second term to what he described as improvements in the economy.
Kow Essuman added, “So it was a very tough decision, but he had to take it because, in those circumstances, it required leadership, and that was kind of like the situation if we found ourselves in the second term, and he demonstrated that leadership, took the tough decisions, and today the tough decisions have gotten us where we are in terms of, for instance, the economy,” he claimed.
He explained that Akufo-Addo had to take difficult decisions that required sacrifices from Ghanaians, claiming that those measures were necessary for the country’s recovery.
“It was tough decisions; people sacrificed, and, you know, he said it himself before that it was a painful period of his administration because the decision that you’re taking, you know, would have an effect on the people, but it’s like medicine. If you don’t swallow it, you know, you can’t get better,” he said.
In related news, Samuel Abu Jinapor, the Member of Parliament for Damongo, has said that in the course of time the legacy of former the legacy of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will be written in gold.
The Damongo MP argued that Ghanaians will eventually appreciate the legacy.
According to Abu Jinapor, Akufo-Addo will be ranked among the country’s best presidents, adding that public assessments of political leaders often change with time.
Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekoosisen on October 14, 2026, Abu Jinapor stated, “History is not written in the contemporary time. History is not written in the moment, and that is why they say that when it comes to history, the jury will still be out there”.
“You know, the jubilation that took place in Ghana when Nkrumah was overthrown, but I think history is now being written to accord President Nkrumah his rightful place in the annals of our country. When former President Kufuor left office in 2008, Ghanaians said lots of things about him, and the same thing happened when Mahama left office in 2016”, he noted.
He further cited former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who led the United Kingdom during World War II but lost the 1945 general election to Clement Attlee, saying, “You go to the United Kingdom, the man who’s been acclaimed as the greatest Englishman of all time, Winston Churchill. At the time Winston Churchill won the war for the United Kingdom in 1945, he was in Yalta negotiating for the UK when the election results were declared. He was defeated by Clement Attlee”.
Abu Jinapor argued that the former president’s achievements would ultimately earn him a positive place in Ghana’s history.
“In the course of time, his name will be written in gold in the history of Ghana. There are no two ways about that. Even on account of Free SHS alone, he has earned his place in Ghanaian history,” he said.
“Some of the decisions and some of the interventions which were rolled out to ensure recovery and ensure that we clean up the economic system caused pain to some Ghanaians, and that is something that we have to admit,” he said.
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Hon. Fiifi Kwetey has arrived at the NDC headquarters for vetting as the party’s National Secretary aspirant. He is going unopposed for the position. https://t.co/zIqOVPIQ6n
— GHnow (@ghnow_) November 11, 2026
