Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has voiced his disappointment and frustration with the Akufo-Addo-led New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.
According to Kufuor, Akufo-Addo rode on his achievements to win power, but caused the NPP’s defeat in the 2024 elections with his policies.
John Agyekum Kufuor highlighted that the Akufo-Addo government started promising in 2016, but after the COVID-19 pandemic, the government performed poorly.
According to John Agyekum Kufuor, the Akufo-Addo government, after COVID, was doing things he did not understand.
He revealed that the Akufo-Addo-led New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration. Implemented policies like the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP), National Cathedral project and Power Distribution Services deal, which contributed significantly to the New Patriotic Party’s defeat in the 2024 elections.
Speaking in an interview with Deloris Frimpong Manso, shared on X on December 6, 2025, former President Kufuor explained, “Before the 2016 election in which Akufo-Addo was elected, the campaign was built on my achievements”.
“Those achievements played a key role in his victory. The government started on a good note, but things changed after he assumed power.”
During the 2016 election, they rode on my achievements to win power, but after they came into government, things changed… They started very well, but when COVID-19 came, things began to shift. I will commend him for how he handled the COVID-19 pandemic, but afterwards, I didn’t understand many of the things they were doing.
Things like the bond market and the National Cathedral… They didn’t consult me. All I knew was that they were building it. I initially thought it was a private initiative, only to later realise they were using government resources. They even demolished the judges’ building for it, and yet they still couldn’t complete it. Also, with the PDS”, he said.
Former President John Agyekum Kufuor further touched on the NPP defeat in the 2024 election, “In 2016, we won the election with a landslide victory. In the 2020 elections, there were tensions which led to a hung parliament; the president got a majority, but it was a reduced majority. Then four years later, it should be that you cannot take the Ghanaian electorate for granted”.
He further advised the NPP to be united and true to themselves, adding that truth and transparency will help the party return to power.
“They should stay true to themselves. They may not all be friends, but since they are bonded by the party’s principles, when it comes to the work, we should present a united front. That is what Ghanaians want”, he added.
Meanwhile, former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo admitted that Ghana’s debt restructuring under his government shattered lives.
Akufo-Addo revealed that the debt restructuring deeply troubled him and still does.
According to Akufo-Addo, the debt restructuring under the G20 Common Framework was the most painful chapter of his presidency.
Akufo-Addo noted that the programme offered short-term economic relief but came at a heavy social and human cost.
Speaking at the AU-EU High-Level Seminar in Brussels on Thursday, October 2, 2025, on the eve of the AU-EU Summit, Akufo-Addo stated, “I witnessed the suffocating grip of debt on our economy and on our citizens. This deeply troubled me and still does”.
“The most painful part was the impact on ordinary people. Pensioners, young people, and small investors saw their lives and livelihoods shattered,” he said.
Watch the video below:
“They were not consulting me when making their decisions, I even thought the cathedral was going to be private funds not knowing they would use state funds”
— Ghana Chronicles (@_GhChronicles) December 7, 2025
-Kuffuor pic.twitter.com/NeCI1iH89T